NEW  THRILLS 
IN  OLD  CHINA 

CHARLOTTE  E.HAWES 


~5T  2.5".  IS-. 

PRINCETON,  N.  J.  ^^^ 


Purchased   by  the    Hamill    Missionary   Fund. 


BV  3415  .H36  1913 

Hawes,  Charlotte  E. 

New  thrills  in  old  China 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 


Charlotte  E.  Hawes  at  Home 
Wei  Hsien,  China 


{       MAY  Z6 191 

NEW   THRILLS 

IN 


OLD    CHINA 


CHARLOTTE   E.  HAWES 

FresbyUrian  Missionary ^  IVei  Hsien, 
Shantungy  China 

ILLUSTRATED 


HODDER  &  STOUGHTON 

NEW  YORK 

GEORGE  H.  DORAN  COMPANY 


Copyright,  J913 
By  George  H.  Doean  Company 


TO 

"Loyal  Hearts  and  True" 

who  love  and  support 

GoD^s  WORK  IN  China 

AND  "Seek  first  the  Kingdom  of  God" 

THROUGHOUT  THE  WORLD 

C.  E.  H. 


INTRODUCTION 

Ye  whose  hearts  are  fresh  and  simple, 

Who  have  faith  in  God  and  nature, 

Who  beHeve  that  in  all  ages, 

Every  human  heart  is  human, 

That  in  even  savage  bosoms 

There  are  longings,  yearnings,  strivings 

For  the  good  they  comprehend  not; 

That  the  feeble  hands  and  helpless, 

Groping  blindly  in  the  darkness. 

Touch  God's  right  hand  in  that  darkness 

And  are  lifted  up  and  strengthened ; 

Listen  to  this  simple  story. 

To  this  song  from  Wei  Hsien,  China/' 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 
I. 

II. 
III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 
XII. 


XIII. 

XIV. 
XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 


PAGE 

Honour  Thy  Father  and  Thy 

Mother 15 

Early  Life  and  Education    .    .  21 

Call  to  China 25 

Going  to  China 30 

Going  to  Wei  Hsien 34 

First  Sight  of  Wei  Hsien  Mis- 
sion       38 

Wei  Hsien  Mission 40 

Learning  the  Language    ...  48 

News  from  Home 54 

Delights  of  Country  Work  in 

China 60 

The  Boxer  War 71 

Boxer  Riots  at  Wei  Hsien  ...  87 

Miss  Hawes'  Letter  ....  90 

Rev.  F.  H.  Chalfant's  Letter  .  99 

Hazardous  Journey  to  the  Coast  109 

Paotingfu  Martyrs 117 

Return  to  America 123 

Missionary  Work  at  Home    .    .  126 

Return  to  China  ......  139 

Return  to  Wei  Hsien  ....  148 


CONTENTS 


XIX.    The    Plague!    Under    Quaran- 
tine!     157 

XX.    The  Chinese  Revolution  .    .    .     162 
XXI.    How  the  Revolution   Affected 

Missions  in  Shantung  .    .    .    186 
XXII.     The   Chinese  Revolution — The 

Most  Wonderful  in  History  .    202 

XXIII.  The    Revolutionary    Outbreak 

in  Si-An-Fu 218 

XXIV.  Anniversary  Day  of  the  Repub- 

uc  OF  China 227 

XXV.    Moral  Phases  and  Outlook  of 

THE  Revolution 243 

XXVI.  The  China  Propaganda  ...  246 
APPENDIX.    A  Brief  Narrative  of  the 

Chinese  Revolution    ....    255 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Charlotte  E.  Hawes  at  Home, 

Wei  Hsien,  China    .    Frontispiece 

FACIMO 
PAOB 

Dr.  Hunter  Corbett  in  His  Shenza  ...  40 
The  House  Where  Miss  Hawes  Taught  Bible 

Class  Before  the  Boxer  Riots  ....  54 
Ch'un  Mei  and  Her  Twenty  Christian  Schol- 
ars       58 

Gate  Where  the  Mob  Entered  Wei  Hsien 

Mission,  June  25th,   1900 94 

Reverend  F.  H.  Chalfant,  D.D.,  Hero  of  June 

25th,  1900,  Wei  Hsien,  China  ....  102 
Ruins  of  Reverend  F.  H.  Chalfant's  House 

at  Wei  Hsien  After  Boxer  Riots  .  .  .  108 
A  Fat  Sheep  Presented  to  the  Missionaries  by 

Yuan  Shih  K*ai  as  a  Good-Will  Offering  108 
Miss  Hawes  and  Helpers  at  Tengchow  .  .  146 
One  of  Miss  Hawes'  Country- Village  Bible 

Classes 150 

The  Presbyterian  Chapel,  Wei  Hsien,  China  156 
Dr.  Sun  Yat  Sen,  Chinese  Patriot  ....  174 
Sweet   Girl   Graduates,   High    School,   Wei 

Hsien,  China 186 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


JAONO 
PAGE 


The  Graduating  Class  of  Shantung  Univer- 
sity, Wei  Hsien,  Qiina 190 

Yuan  Shih  K'ai,  President  of  the  Giinese  Re- 
public       202 

Reverend  George  F.  Fitch,  D.D.,  Founder  of 
Presbyterian  Mission  Press,  Shanghai, 
China 248 

Map  of  China  Presbyterian  Missions,  Wei 
Hsien  Mission,  5,  Shantung  Province    .    .    256 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 


CHAPTER  I 
"HONOUR  THY  FATHER  AND  THY  MOTHER" 

PREACH  for  Christ!  Live  for  Christ! 
Be  ready  to  die  for  Christ !  "  These 
were  my  father's  dying  words  to  his  el- 
ders, as  they  stood  around  his  bed,  and  then, 
whispering  to  my  mother,  "  All  is  bright,"  his 
pure  spirit  passed  away.  He  had  "  fought  a 
good  fight,"  and  had  "  finished  his  course,"  and, 
like  Paul,  he  had  won  the  crown  of  righteous- 
ness that  was  laid  up  for  him.  My  life  was  just 
beginning  as  his  was  closing,  but  I  thank  God  for 
the  precious  heritage  of  my  godly  father,  and  the 
guidance  and  comfort  of  my  brave,  good  mother, 
before  whose  fragrant  memory  my  soul  finds 
great  comfort.  A  great  pity  moves  my  heart  for 
those  in  heathen  countries,  who  never  had  the 
backing  of  such  godly  ancestry  as  mine,  and  who 
bow  in  worship  at  the  graves  of  those  poor 
heathen  parents  who  knew  not  God.  Lacking 
the  true  teaching  that  was  mine  from  earliest 
years,  they  blindly  grope  about,  unconsciously 
crying :  "  Oh,  that  I  knew  where  I  might  find 
Him;  that  I  might  come  even  to  His  seat!" 

15 


16       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

With  the  hope  that  some  may  be  led  to  help 
the  Chinese  people  to  find  God,  I  write  this  story 
of  my  life  and  work,  including  our  escape  from 
the  Boxers,  and  experiences  during  the  recent 
Revolution. 

My  father,  Rev.  Lowman  Prince  Hawes,  was 
born  in  Maysville,  Kentucky,  October  5th,  1825. 
He  and  his  little  brother  and  sister,  John  and 
Margaret,  were  left  orphans  in  their  early  child- 
hood. Their  father,  Lowman  Locke  Hawes,  was 
of  English  descent;  graduated  from  Yale  Col- 
lege in  18 14,  practised  law  in  Maysville,  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  married  Charlotte  Brown,  the 
gentle  daughter  of  Major  John  Brown,  who 
came  to  America  in  1798  from  Belfast,  Ireland, 
during  the  Irish  Rebellion,  and  settled  on  an  es- 
tate near  Maysville. 

My  father  was  of  a  very  gentle  disposition, 
and  his  sorrows  caused  him  to  devote  himself  to 
his  books  and  look  upon  life  in  a  serious  way, 
although  he  was  only  seven  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  died.  The  little  orphans  had  an  ex- 
cellent guardian  in  Judge  Richard  Collins,  and 
spent  their  early  years  in  his  home  at  Maysville. 
My  father  worked  bravely  away  at  his  Latin 
grammar  and  prepared  himself  for  Centre  Col- 
lege, at  Danville,  Kentucky.  He  entered  college 
in  the  middle  of  the  sophomore  year;  graduated 
at  seventeen  years  of  age,  with  the  highest  hon- 
ours of  his  class,  in  1842.     His  parents  did  not 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       IT 

live  to  listen  to  his  valedictory  oration,  but  he 
honored  his  God,  and,  cherishing  no  bitter  or  re- 
bellious feelings,  consecrated  his  life  to  Christ, 
and  humbly  accepted  His  will  in  all  things.  He 
entered  the  Western  Theological  Seminary  in 
Allegheny,  where  he  graduated  in  1846,  and  was 
licensed  to  preach  by  the  Allegheny  Presbytery. 
He  supplied  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  in 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  for  six  months.  At  the 
same  time,  my  mother,  a  bright  young  woman, 
of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  was  teaching  in  the 
Third  Ward  School  in  Pittsburgh,  and  charming 
with  her  sweet  voice  and  happy  disposition  her 
many  friends  and  admirers,  both  in  social  and 
church  life.  She  was  the  leading  soprano  singer 
in  the  choir  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Pittsburgh,  and  for  some  years  in  St.  An- 
drew's Episcopal  Church,  where  she  was  pre- 
sented one  Christmas  morning  with  a  handsome 
purple  velvet  portfolio  and  ten  dollars  in  gold. 
In  later  years  she  laughingly  said  she  was 
thus  the  "  first  paid  soprano  in  Pittsburg." 
Fifty  Presbyterian  ministers  were  present  at 
my  mother's  wedding,  for  she  was  popular 
with  my  father's  classmates,  and  they  all 
came  to  the  wedding.  Dr.  James  B.  Alli- 
son, late  editor  of  the  Presbyterian  Banner, 
was  best  man.  The  ceremony  was  performed  by 
her  mother's  brother.  Rev.  Alexander  T.  M'  Gill, 
D.  D.,  LL.D.,  late  professor    in    the    Princeton 


18       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

Theological  Seminary.  My  father's  first  call  was 
to  the  church  at  Concord,  near  Pittsburgh,  and 
read  as  follows :  "  Two  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars a  year  to  keep  you  from  all  worldly  care." 
It  was  well  that  things  were  cheap  before  the 
war,  and  my  happy  parents  set  up  housekeeping 
with  very  little  expense.  Her  brother,  William 
W.  Wilson,  a  jeweller,  presented  them  with  silver 
for  their  table,  and  her  brother,  John,  furnished 
them  with  chairs  and  tables,  as  he  was  a  "cabi- 
net-maker". When  they  sat  down  to  their  first 
meal  in  their  modest  little  country  home,  they 
were  so  happy,  and,  with  a  satisfied  smile,  my 
father  said :  "  This  is  the  first  meal  I  have  ever 
sat  down  to  in  my  own  home !  "  The  little  or- 
phan boy  had  his  reward  at  last  after  his  long, 
lonely  years  of  study  and  perseverance. 

The  church  at  Huntingdon,  Pa.,  called  my 
father  in  1850,  and,  during  his  pastorate  there,  in 
1854,  he  went  abroad  for  his  health,  the  means 
being  provided  by  his  cousin,  Judge  Horace 
Hawes,  of  San  Francisco,  California.  Return- 
ing, he  was  appointed  professor  of  Greek  and 
Latin  in  Carroll  College,  at  Waukesha,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  supplied  the  Presbyterian  Church  there. 
His  last  charge  was  at  Madison,  Indiana,  where 
I  was  born,  and  where  he  died  of  fever  at  thirty- 
five  years  of  age.  His  last  sermon  was  preached 
from  the  text,  "  To  depart  and  be  with  Christ, 
which  is  far  better." 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       19 

The  following  is  quoted  from  the  "  Encyclo- 
pedia of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A., 
including  the  Northern  and  Southern  Assem- 
blies," by  Rev.  Alfred  Nevin,  D.  D.,  LL.D.; 
Managing  Editor,  D.  R.  B.  Nevin,  A.  M. : 

"  Rev.  Lowman  Hawes  labored  at  Hunting- 
don, Pa.,  and  then  at  Beloit  and  Waukesha,  Wis- 
consin, with  marked  success,  and  then  was  pastor 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  at  Madison, 
Indiana,  from  1857  until  his  death,  in  186 1.  In 
all  the  relations  of  life  he  was  consistent  and 
exemplary ;  in  the  pulpit  he  was  able,  earnest  and 
eloquent.  Had  he  possessed  a  strong  body  and 
a  fine  voice,  the  rich  thought,  the  classic  beauty 
of  his  style,  the  impassioned  glow  of  his  emo- 
tions would  have  made  him  a  famous  preacher, 
hardly  surpassed  by  any  of  his  age." 

On  my  return  from  China,  in  1900,  as  I  trav- 
elled through  various  presbyteries,  especially  in 
places  where  my  father  had  preached  so  faithfully 
for  the  God  he  loved,  I  felt  the  fragrance  of  his 
sweet  memory  coming  down  all  through  the 
years,  so  many  were  the  expressions  of  love  for 
him  and  for  my  mother.  Everyone  spoke  of 
her  sweet  voice.  From  my  earliest  years,  I  re- 
member her  singing  in  the  early  morning,  and 
laughing  cheerfully,  although  she  had  trials  and 
difficulties  in  rearing  her  family  of  five  children 
after  my  father's  death,  which  would  have  caused 
any  other  widow  to  sit  and  weep.     Plucky  and 


20       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

brave  in  spirit,  and  healthy  in  mind  and  body,  she 
faced  the  future  with  a  practical  view,  and,  al- 
though urged  to  remain  by  the  kind  friends  in 
Madison,  she  decided  to  remove  to  Washington, 
Pa.,  where  there  were  good  schools  and  healthful 
climate.  So  we  travelled  on  the  old  "  Hempfield 
Railroad  "  to  Washington,  Pa.,  and  there  were 
kind  friends  to  welcome  her.  Reverend  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  James  I.  Brownson,  and  Elder  and  Mrs. 
Colin  Reed,  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church. 
They  took  her  to  their  hearts  and  into  the  church 
and  Sabbath  School,  and  there  we  found  our 
home.  My  mother's  noble  example  has  helped 
me  over  many  a  seeming  hard  place  in  China, 
when  I  have  thought  of  her  plucky,  independent 
way  of  getting  along,  and  winning  everybody's 
love  and  respect  by  always  being  bright  and 
keeping  herself  and  children  dainty  and  nice,  in 
spite  of  her  slender  means. 


CHAPTER  II 

EARLY  LIFE  AND  EDUCATION 

MY  earliest  recollections  are  in  Washing- 
ton, of  course,  picking  yellow  dande- 
lions in  the  college  campus,  and  play- 
ing with  my  sisters  and  brother.  Then  the  day 
came  alas!  when  I  must  go  to  school.  Well  do 
I  remember  clinging  with  both  hands  to  the  table 
leg  or  the  machine  stand  every  morning,  and  my 
mother  pulling  me  away  to  go  to  Miss  Martha 
Grayson's  school ;  and  my  poor  sister  Anna's  lit- 
tle face  all  red  with  mortification  as  she  led  her 
bawling  sister  down  the  street.  One  day  Miss 
Grayson,  in  despair,  came  to  our  house,  and  told 
my  mother  if  she  would  let  her  whip  me,  she 
was  sure  she  could  make  a  good  girl  of  me.  She 
said  that  I  had  such  a  triumphant  look  when  I 
had  "  trapped "  my  sister  in  class,  "  which 
showed  a  wrong  spirit,"  said  dear  Miss  Gray- 
son, shaking  the  little  curls  around  her  face. 
But  my  mother  couldn't  stand  it  to  have  her 
baby  whipped,  much  as  she  knew  I  deserved  it, 
so  she  took  me  out  of  school,  and  that  pleased 

21 


g2       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

me  very  much.  Then,  one  day,  along  came  Miss 
Priscilla  Miller,  who  gave  me  a  big  old-fash- 
ioned penny,  and  asked  me  if  I  would  not  "  like 
to  go  to  her  school  for  little  girls  and  boys."  I 
said  "  Yes,"  for  I  thought  she  was  so  nice.  From 
that  time,  little  stubborn  "  Lottie  "  never  had  any 
trouble  about  school.  I  never  had  the  intense 
desire  for  study  that  possessed  my  parents,  but 
I  had  enough  of  my  Scotch-Irish  ancestry  in  me 
to  stubbornly  stick  to  my  lessons,  and  so  passed 
through  the  grammar  schools  in  the  places  where 
we  lived,  and,  later  on,  graduated  in  1877  from 
the  Pittsburg  Central  High  School. 

During  my  High  School  course,  I  made  my 
home  on  Mt.  Washington  with  my  sister  and  her 
husband,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  C.  Tassey,  to  whom  I 
owe  much  for  their  kindness  and  help  in  my 
education.  My  mother  and  the  rest  of  my  fam- 
ily were  then  living  in  Sewickley,  Pa.  The  news 
came  to  me  of  my  dear  sister  Anna's  confession 
of  faith  in  Christ  and  uniting  with  the  church. 
This  was  my  playmate  sister,  the  patient,  pretty 
little  maiden  who  had  first  led  me  crying  to 
school,  and  now  she  was  leading  me  to  think  of 
Christ.  The  Holy  Spirit  came  to  me,  convicting 
me  of  my  stubborn  sins,  and  my  pride  gave  way, 
and  Christ  received  me  as  His  willing  child.  So, 
with  a  dozen  others,  I  stood  before  the  old  pul- 
pit in  the  little  church  on  Mt.  Washington  on 
January  24th,  1874,  and  was  received  into  mem- 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       23 

bership,  to  the  joy  of  my  pastor,  Rev.  P.  S.  Jen- 
nings, and  my  family. 

It  was  also  my  dear  sister  Anna  who  care- 
fully rolled  the  neat  edges  of  the  tarletan  ruf- 
fles of  my  beautiful  white  graduating  dress, 
which  I  wore  that  hot  June  night  at  our  Com- 
mencement in  the  Pittsburg  Opera  House,  and 
read  my  essay  on  the  "Historical  Associations 
of  Pittsburg."  How  fine  it  was  when  I  could 
make  my  bow  and  turn  carefully  around  so  that 
lovely  train,  my  first,  would  sweep  gracefully, 
and  then  sit  down  with  my  classmates  and  re- 
ceive the  pretty  bouquets  from  kind  friends,  and 
my  diploma!  It  was  a  happy  time  for  us  all, 
for  while  we  always  thought  there  never  was 
such  a  choice  class  graduated  from  the  High 
School  as  our  class  of  'jy,  yet  I  think  we  were 
all  glad  to  feel  we  were  through  the  drudgery 
of  preparation,  and  welcomed  the  glorious  op- 
portunities before  us  of  doing  something  to 
make  life  sweet  for  our  dear  ones,  and  lighten 
their  burdens  by  helping  ourselves.  People  used 
to  tell  me :  "  Your  school  days  are  your  best 
days,"  but  I  never  believed  it,  because  of  the 
daily  grind  of  getting  hard  lessons,  and  because 
the  "  best  days  "  came  afterwards  in  the  joy  of 
having  a  part  in  life  and  the  hope  of  helping  to 
make  the  world  a  little  better  for  others,  and 
perhaps  to  win  some  to  love  the  Lord  who  hath 
"  60  loved  us." 


24       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

After  my  graduation,  I  taught  school  for  a 
time  in  a  country  school,  and  in  Mr.  John  Way's 
academy  at  Sewickley;  also  helped  my  brother, 
Rev.  Edward  P.  Hawes,  in  his  "  Ingleside 
Academy,"  which  he  established  at  M'Donald, 
Pa.,  but  as  school-teaching  was  not  my  forte,  I 
privately  mastered  a  system  of  shorthand,  and 
made  practical  use  of  that.  For  seven  years  I 
was  a  stenographer,  taking  dictation  first  from 
my  brother-in-law,  Col.  John  I.  Nevin,  editor 
of  the  Pittsburg  Leader,  and  later  in  the  cor- 
respondence ojffice  of  the  firm  of  P.  Duff  &  Sons, 
Pittsburg.  I  humbly  thank  God  for  the  lessons 
of  patience  and  careful  system  in  work  which 
these  varied  experiences  gave  me,  and  I  thank 
Him  for  the  discipline  of  His  guiding  hand,  and 
the  many  kind  good  friends  He  gave  me  all 
along  the  way. 


CHAPTER    III 

CALL  TO  CHINA 

"  Lift  up  Your  Eyes  and  Look  on  the  Fields !  " 

THE  evening  of  my  dear  mother's  life 
drew  near,  and  giving  up  my  office 
work,  I  spent  many  precious  hours  with 
her  in  my  sister's  home,  until  one  sad  night, 
June  1 2th,  1894,  the  summons  came,  and  with 
one  glad,  rapt  look  of  joy,  she  saw  her  Saviour 
coming  to  meet  her  and  passed  away,  breathing 
her  last  in  my  arms.  The  world  does  not  con- 
tain a  love  like  a  mother's  love,  and  to  this  day 
my  heart  goes  out  in  yearning  for  my  sweet 
mother.  Miss  Janie  Rea,  of  East  Liberty,  and 
I  went,  just  after  this,  to  Northfield,  Mass., 
where  we  both  found  comfort  and  a  rich  bless- 
ing in  attending  the  Meetings  held  by  that  noble 
servant  of  God,  Mr.  Dwight  L.  Moody.  Then, 
one  cold  winter  day,  when  the  snow  was  all 
over  the  ground,  at  a  little  foreign  mission  meet- 
ing, held  in  the  parlor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  Pittsburg,  Mrs.  Frank  H.  Chalfant, 
who  had  spent  eight  years  in  China,  told  us  of 

25 


26       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

her  work,  and  the  need  for  more  workers  in 
that  far-off  land.  Not  a  thought  of  the  needs 
of  distant  China  came  to  me  personally,  as  I 
sat  by  the  leaflet  table,  selling  missionary  tracts 
to  the  ladies  after  the  meeting,  and  taking  their 
subscriptions  to  Woman's  Work,  etc.,  but  sud- 
denly there  appeared  before  me  the  smiling 
faces  of  our  returned  missionary  and  Mrs.  Mun- 
son,  of  the  Park  Avenue  Church,  who  intro- 
duced her  to  me. 

"  Oh,  I  am  very  glad  to  meet  you,  Mrs.  Chal- 
fant,"  said  I. 

"  Perhaps  you  won't  be  so  glad,"  Mrs.  Mun- 
son  said,  "  when  you  find  out  what  she  wants?  " 

Not  in  the  least  suspecting  her  designs,  I 
looked  up  in  her  face,  asking :  "  Why,  what  do 
you  want,  Mrs  Chalfant?" 

She  replied  quietly :    "  I  want  you." 

Amazed,  I  asked :  "  Oh,  what  do  you  want 
of  me?" 

And  then,  "  Why,  I  want  you  to  go  to  China !  " 

If  she  had  hit  me  in  the  face,  I  could  not  have 
been  more  surprised  and  stunned,  but  when  she 
said :  "  Promise  me  you  will  pray  over  it,"  and 
was  gone,  these  words  came  to  me :  "  Ye  have 
not  chosen  Me,  but  I  have  chosen  you,  that  ye 
should  go."  I  had  not  sought  this  call,  but  the 
Lord  in  His  great  condescension  sent  His  mes- 
senger to  me,  and  I  could  not  shake  off  the  con- 
viction that  I  dare  not  be  "  disobedient  to  the 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       27 

heavenly  vision."  So,  after  much  prayer  and 
consultation  with  my  dear  family,  the  decision 
was  made,  and  "  Peace  which  passeth  all  under- 
standing with  gladness  filled  my  soul."  Some 
years  before  this,  my  pastor.  Rev.  Isaac  Hays, 
asked  me  to  teach  the  little  children  of  the 
"  Home  for  the  Friendless  "  on  Sabbath  after- 
noons, and  the  same  peace  was  mine  then ;  for  it 
is  indeed  a  joy  to  feel  that  God  honors  us  with 
a  sacred  trust. 

There  was  a  nursery  in  connection  with  the 
"  Home    for    the    Friendless,"    and   one    day    I 
persuaded  our   former  neighbour,   Mrs.   H.,  of 
Sewickley,  to  come  and  see  a  sweet  baby  girl 
there,  who  had  such  beautiful  brown  eyes  and 
curly  brown  hair,  and  had  been  abandoned  by 
her  parents  to  be  given  to  anyone  who  would 
take  her.     Mrs.  H.  was  advised  by  a  neighbor 
to   ''Let   the   child   alone,"    telling   her   ''How 
much  work  she  would  make,"  etc.     But  Mrs.  H. 
and  her  good  husband  had  no  children  of  their 
own,  and  they  had  a  good  home  and  plenty  of 
means,  and  kind  hearts,  and  they  took  the  Christ 
Child  in  when  they  opened  their  arms  to  this 
little  waif,  and  "  Bessie  is  worth  her  weight  in 
gold"    was   always    their   word   with   a   bright 
smile.     The  inspector  from  the  "  Home  "  came 
one  day,  according  to  custom,  to  investigate  if 
the  child  was  properly  cared  for,  and  when  he 
saw  happy  little  Bessie  playing  beside  her  new 


28       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

mother,  who  was  making  pies  for  dinner,  his 
eyes  filled  with  tears  at  the  picture  of  content- 
ment, and  he  only  said :  "  It  is  all  right.  No 
need  to  ask  any  questions."  But  the  parents 
lost  no  time  in  adopting  their  precious  baby  ac- 
cording to  law,  and  so  crowned  their  lives  with 
the  glory  of  the  highest  form  of  mission  work. 
"  Feed  My  Lambs,"  says  Jesus.  And,  dear 
friends,  if  you  should  receive  a  call  to  take  a 
little  child  to  cherish,  or  to  go  on  Christ's  er- 
rands, whether  to  the  city  slums  or  to  those 
across  the  seas  in  heathen  lands,  "  Away  on  the 
mountains,  cold  and  bare,  away  from  the  tender 
Shepherd's  care,"  listen  to  that  Voice,  rise  up 
in  God's  strength,  and  for  Christ's  dear  sake, 
GO!  Accept  the  call,  and  no  words  can  de- 
scribe the  peace  which  shall  be  yours,  flowing 
into  your  soul  like  a  river.  It  will  help  you  to 
bear  the  separation  from  all  who  are  dear  to 
you,  and  Christ  Himself  stands  so  near  when 
friends  feel  the  pain  of  saying  "  Good-bye," 
and  you  suffer  with  them.  He  left  His  home. 
He  left  His  loving  Father.  He  gave  up  His 
glory.  He  came  to  this  earth  a  foreign  mis- 
sionary to  us,  and  He  was  rejected.  He  was 
despised,  He  was  crucified!  He  loved  us,  and 
gave  His  life  for  us.  Not  that  we  loved  Him, 
but  that  He  loved  us !  Shall  we  deny  Him,  who 
is  praying  for  us  before  the  throne,  who  has 
prepared  a  place  for  us,  "  Whose  name  is  above 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       S9 

every  name."  What  is  there  so  precious  to  you 
that  you  cannot  give  up  to  follow  Him  and 
reach  Heaven's  joys?  "  There  is  no  other  name 
under  Heaven  given  among  men  v^hereby  we 
(and  the  Chinese)  may  be  saved."  "  Go  and 
preach  My  Gospel  "  is  His  command.  "  Lo,  I 
am  with  you  alway  "  is  His  promise. 

"It  is  the  way  the  Master  went, 
Shall  not  the  servant  tread  it  still  ?" 


CHAPTER   IV 

GOING  TO  CHINA 

"  Have  not  I  commanded  thee  ? 
Fear  not,  I  am  with  thee.    Oh,  be  not  dismayed." 

NO  missionary  ever  left  a  sweeter  family 
circle  and  home  than  mine.  And  all 
over  the  hills  of  Western  Pennsylvania, 
and  in  Pittsburg,  where  I  spent  the  most  of  my 
life,  there  were  loving  hearts  praying  for  me  as 
I  sailed  away  from  the  "  Golden  Gate  "  of  San 
Francisco  in  that  good  ship  Coptic.  We  may 
well  thank  our  "  Heavenly  Father  for  our  daily 
blessings,"  but  oh,  how  we  should  especially 
praise  Him  for  our  friends!  These  make  life 
sweet,  and  cheer  us  as  we  bear  the  daily  load, 
and  join  us  in  our  love  to  the  Friend  above  all 
others. 

Although  my  parents  were  dead  when  I  left 
for  China,  yet  I  have  always  felt  I  had  their 
approval  in  taking  this  step.  My  father  was  an 
earnest  believer  in  foreign  missions,  and  he  used 
to  pin  a  five-dollar  bill  in  my  mother's  hymn- 
book  on  *'  Foreign  Mission  Sabbath,"  telling  her 
it  was  for  the  "  evangelization  of  the  world." 

30 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       31 

My  brother  Edward  and  sister  Anna  and  my 
brother-in-law,  Col.  John  I.  Nevin,  had  all 
passed  away.  I  left  my  two  dear  sisters,  Mrs. 
Tassey  and  Mrs.  Nevin  both  in  comfortable, 
happy  homes,  both  having  four  grown  children. 
My  nephew,  Edward  P.  Hawes,  and  his  mother, 
a  lady  of  Christian  refinement  and  intelligence, 
lived  with  her  mother  and  brother  in  Pittsburg. 
All  were  in  good  health  and  I  was  free  to  go. 

Rev.  and  Mrs.  F.  H.  Chalfant,  their  two 
children,  Margaret  and  Ned,  and  also  Dr. 
George  Chalfant,  missionary  father,  composed 
our  party  as  the  train  left  the  Union  Station; 
Dr.  Chalfant  going  with  us  to  the  ship,  cheering 
and  enlivening  everybody  on  the  trains  all  along 
the  way.  We  stopped  with  friends  at  St.  Louis, 
and  also  at  Denver  on  Sabbath.  By  request,  I 
spoke  at  a  Christian  Endeavour  meeting,  and  as 
I  passed  out  of  th6  church  an  old  gentleman 
stopped  me,  saying :  "  You  are  all  right,  but  I 
never  would  have  believed  anything  good  could 
come  out  of  Pittsburg!"  Telling  him  that  was 
pretty  hard  on  my  city,  I  hastened  to  the  train, 
which  was  nearly  due  to  start.  Mrs.  Chalfant 
and  I  got  the  children  and  baggage  on  the  train, 
and  by  favor  of  the  conductor  the  train  was  held 
eight  minutes,  when  Mr.  Chalfant  and  his 
father,  who  had  all  the  tickets,  came  dashing 
through  the  gate.  They  had  been  speaking  for 
foreign   missions,    too,    in   one   of   the    Denver 


8S       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

churches.  At  San  Bernardino  my  cousin,  Mrs. 
Walter  Grow,  and  her  husband  came  to  meet 
us,  and  presented  us  with  a  splendid  bushel  sack 
of  freshly  picked  ripe  oranges  from  their  ranch. 
Oh,  how  delicious  they  were,  the  sweet  juice 
fairly  bursting  through  the  skin,  and  how  the 
little  Chalfants  and  all  of  us  pounced  upon 
them,  quenching  our  thirst,  and  "  Grandpa 
Chalfant  "  treated  the  whole  car  of  travel-worn 
passengers,  too,  with  the  fruit. 

At  San  Francisco  we  sailed  away  with  bright 
skies  and  favorable  winds.  The  Pacific  Ocean 
is  very,  very  wide  and  not  always  very  pacific. 
There  were  days  when  the  racks  were  used  on 
the  tables  to  keep  the  soup  from  spilling  and  the 
dishes  from  smashing,  and  the  passengers  did 
not  always  appear  at  meals,  so  we  were  glad  to 
go  ashore  at  Honolulu  and  see  the  kind  friends, 
Rev.  and  Mrs.  Frank  Damon,  who  invited  "  all 
missionaries  on  the  ship  "  to  their  home.  I  felt 
especially  near  to  Mrs.  Damon,  as  her  brother, 
Rev.  Andrew  P.  Happer,  had  married  my  cousin, 
Mary  D.  M'Gill,  and  she  said  to  me :  "I  just 
feel  like  laying  hands  on  you.  I  need  you  to 
help  me  visit  the  Chinese  women  here."  But 
we  were  bound  for  Wei  Hsien,  China,  so  on 
we  went,  stopping  at  Yokohama,  then  at  Kobe, 
where  we  were  met  by  Mrs  Nellie  Cuthbert 
Bryan,  another  Pittsburg  missionary,  who 
helped  us  greatly  with  her  fluent  Japanese.     At 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       33 

Shanghai  I  learned  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrew 
Happer  had  just  sailed  to  Chefoo,  returning 
from  Saigon,  where  Mr.  Happer  had  received 
treatment  for  dog-bite.  We  telegraphed  to 
Chefoo,  where  they  waited  for  me,  and  we  spent 
a  very  precious  day  together  in  the  home  of 
Mrs.  John  L.  Nevius.  My  cousin  not  having 
seen  any  of  her  people  for  three  years,  welcomed 
me  joyfully.  Mr.  Happer  looked  hale  and 
hearty,  and  his  blue  eyes  very  clear  and  bright. 
But  alas!  very  soon  after  their  return  to  New 
Chwang  he  died  of  hydrophobia  in  great  agony. 
He  had  often  preached  in  the  chapel  there,  and 
while  he  had  strength  before  his  death  he  ex- 
horted the  Chinese  to  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 


CHAPTER   V 
GOING  TO  WEI  HSIEN 

WEI  HSIEN  is  located  in  the  centre  of 
the  great  Shantung  Province,  and  is 
about  half  way  between  Shanghai 
and  Peking.  You  can  easily  reach  Wei  Hsien 
now  by  steamer  to  Tsingtau,  and  thence  by  six 
hours'  railroad  ride.  But  at  that  time,  January, 
1897,  there  was  no  railway,  and  we  were  obliged 
to  travel  six  days  from  the  coast  by  mule  litter. 
This  is  a  vehicle  composed  of  ropes  and  poles, 
with  a  big  scoop-bonnet  made  of  straw  mats  on 
top.  You  put  your  bed-clothes  and  your  bag- 
gage in  first,  and  then  you  get  in  the  big  bon- 
net, and  the  Chinese  lift  the  poles  and  up  you 
go  on  the  backs  of  two  mules,  one  before  and 
one  behind,  and  if  you  want  to  know  how  milk 
feels  when  it  is  being  churned,  just  get  into  a 
mule  litter  (or  shenza),  and  go  to  Wei  Hsien, 
and  you  will  find  out.  It  was  extremely  cold,  so 
we  were  glad  to  put  on  the  good  warm  Chinese 
garments  prepared  for  us  by  our  good  friends  at 
Chefoo,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  William  O.  Elterich,  who 
are  also  Pittsburgers,  and  who  took  me  in  their 

34 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       35 

home  and  did  their  best  to  give  me  a  start  in  my 
missionary  career,  and  one  day  tried  me  with 
some  Chinese  food.  These  were  dumplings 
filled  with  chopped-up  pork,  and  made  me  so 
wretchedly  ill  all  day  that  I  decided  to  let  Chin- 
ese food  alone. 

Let  no  new  missionaries  be  discouraged  if 
they  cannot  eat  underdone  pork  and  cabbage 
dumplings,  flavored  with  garlic,  for  it  is  not 
necessary  to  the  conversion  of  the  Chinese 
heathen.  Dr.  Hunter  Corbett  and  many  other 
successful  missionaries  take  their  food-box  to 
the  country  and  eat  proper  food,  prepared  in  a 
civilized  way,  believing  it  to  be  of  the  highest 
importance  to  preserve  a  good  digestion  and 
keep  the  body  in  healthy  condition  for  work. 
It  is  also  a  decided  advantage  in  itinerating 
among  the  Chinese  villages  to  be  able  truthfully 
to  say :  "  I  have  brought  my  own  food  with 
me,  because  I  eat  American  food,  so  do  not 
trouble  to  cook  for  me,  but  please  let  us  rest,  and 
listen  while  we  talk  about  Jesus."  Many  of  our 
village  people  are  poor,  and  yet  so  willing  to 
show  their  love  for  you  they  would  give  you 
food  they  need  themselves  for  their  own  poor 
bodies.  Like  the  Galatians,  who  loved  Paul  so, 
they  would  have  given  him  their  "  very  eyes." 
However,  it  is  sometimes  wise  to  accept  a  drink 
of  the  Chinese  millet  soup,  which  is  very  palat- 
able, and  tends  to  sociability,  and  gives  you  a 


36       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

pleasant  way  of  reaching  the  hearts  of  the 
women  as  you  sit  with  them  on  the  k'ang;  and 
if  the  people  are  not  well  off,  you  can  please  them 
by  a  little  gift  as  you  leave. 

A  healthy  mind  in  a  healthy  body  every  mis- 
sionary should  strive  for  and  earnestly  pray  for, 
and  try  to  live  in  peace  with  other  missionaries 
who  come  from  every  corner  of  the  world  with 
every  variety  of  disposition.  There  is  a  won- 
derfully sweet  bond  existing  between  missionar- 
ies, however,  and  if  you  come  out  to  China, 
ready  to  serve  Christ  and  forget  self,  and  live 
your  religion  by  loving  your  neighbour  as  your- 
self, and  "  never  sit  down  with  a  tear  or  a  frown, 
but  paddle  your  own  canoe,"  you  will  get  along 
all  right.  And  you  will  find,  too,  that  the  mis- 
sionaries are  a  splendid  people  to  be  associated 
with,  for  they  are  graduates  of  all  the  best  col- 
leges and  universities  in  America  and  England, 
and  you  must  get  up  pretty  early  in  the  morning 
if  you  want  to  get  ahead  of  them. 

On  our  way  to  Wei  Hsien,  we  stopped  over 
Sabbath  in  Tengchow.  It  was  my  privilege  to 
be  entertained  in  the  home  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Cal- 
vin W.  Mateer,  the  noble  founders  of  the  Shan- 
tung Christian  College.  It  had  not  yet  been 
transferred  to  Wei  Hsien,  and  the  students 
were  constantly  coming  in  for  advice  about  their 
studies,  or  for  medical  help  from  Mrs.  Mateer, 
to  whom  they  looked  as  to  a  mother.     Here  I 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       37 

began  to  study  the  language,  learning  to  count 
and  to  tell  my  age  in  reply  to  that  daily  ques- 
tion, "  How  old  are  you  ? "  This  makes  an 
American  woman  awful  mad,  but  in  China  it  is 
a  compliment  to  you.  Dr.  Mateer  encouraged 
me  by  saying :  "  The  Chinese  sticks  to  you  like 
the  burs  to  my  pants !  " 

When  I  reached  Wei  Hsien  a  crowd  of  Chi- 
nese women  called  on  me  at  Mrs.  Faries'  home, 
and  they  threw  up  their  hands  in  amazement 
when  I  answered  their  question  as  to  my  age. 
"  Oh !  She  talks  Chinese.  How  smart  she  is ! 
This  is  only  her  first  day,  too !  "  So  I  gained 
the  reputation  for  knowing  far  more  than  I 
really  did.  But  it  is  worth  something  to  get 
the  loving  favour  of  the  people  right  at  the  start, 
for  they  are  so  constituted  that  they  never  alter 
their  first-formed  opinion  of  us  without  some 
extraordinary  good  reason  for  it. 


CHAPTER   VI 

FIRST  SIGHT  OF  WEI  HSIEN  MISSION 

"  Yet  Will  I  Be  to  Them  as  a  Little  Sanctuary  in  the 
Countries  where  they  shall  come." 

AS  we  drew  near  to  the  Wei  Hsien  Com- 
pound, that  bleak  day  in  early  March, 
our  shenzas  slowly  winding  tandem- 
style  through  the  narrow  road,  the  few  mission- 
ary homes  looked  very  cosy  nestling  within  the 
brick-walled  enclosure  of  the  compound.  As  my 
eyes  rested  on  the  Chalfant  house,  with  its  tile 
roof,  decorated  with  little  dogs  on  the  edges  and 
a  circular  window  looking  out  from  their  one 
upstairs  room,  Mrs.  Chalfant  called  back  to  me 
from  her  shenza  just  ahead  of  mine :  "  Miss 
Hawes,  do  you  see  that  round  window?  That 
is  your  room !  " 

That  little  room  with  the  round  window  was 
the  first  room  I  lived  in  when  I  came  to  China, 
and  it  was  the  last  room  where  I  stood  with 
two  other  missionaries  and  a  few  Chinese  Chris- 
tians on  the  day  of  the  Boxer  riots,  June  25th, 
1900,  and   faced  death!     But  it  is  one  of  the 

38 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       39 

kindest  provisions  of  our  Heavenly  Father  that 
we  cannot  see  into  the  future.  He  mercifully 
drops  a  curtain  before  us,  and  gives  us  ''  strength 
as  our  day  shall  be." 

We  were  met  at  the  gate  of  the  compound  by 
Rev.  Calvin  Wight,  who,  with  his  sister  Fannie, 
lived  next  the  Chalfants,  in  a  one-storied  house 
— noble,  self-sacrificing  missionaries.  After  I 
had  begun  itinerating,  I  saw  a  beautiful  evidence 
of  the  love  of  the  Chinese  people  for  Miss 
Wight.  In  a  village  sixty  li  from  Wei  Hsien, 
while  teaching  a  class  of  women,  I  happened  to 
look  up  and  saw  a  foreign  cane-seated  chair  tied 
up  in  the  peaked  roof  over  our  heads.  "  Why 
is  that  chair  tied  up  there  so  high  ?  "  I  asked,  and 
one  of  the  women  replied  softly:  "  That  was  the 
chair  Miss  Wight  used  when  she  taught  us." 
No  one  else  may  use  that  chair.  She  was  one 
of  the  noble  women  who  constantly  thought  of 
others  in  her  work.  At  one  village  she  slept 
upon  a  table  so  that  the  Chinese  women  might 
occupy  the  k'ang  and  study  through  the  day. 
This  was  in  one  of  the  twelve  villages  she  vis- 
ited in  bitter  cold  weather,  and,  upon  her  return, 
died  of  pneumonia.  A  year  later  her  brother 
died  of  the  same  disease,  and  "  Calvin  and  Fan- 
nie "  lie  side  by  side  in  the  little  foreign  cem- 
etery at  Chefoo. 


CHAPTER   VII 

WEI  HSIEN  MISSION 

THE  Wei  Hsien  Presb)^erian  Mission  Sta- 
tion is  located  a  mile  east  of  Wei  Hsien 
City,  a  walled  city  of  100,000  inhabi- 
tants. Dr.  Hunter  Corbett^  who  came  out  to 
China  in  1863  in  a  sailing  vessel,  enduring  un- 
told hardships  by  sea  and  land,  first  "  opened 
the  desert,"  preaching  all  through  this  region. 
He  found  it  very  hard  to  get  a  place  even  to 
lodge  for  a  night  in  some  places,  because  of 
the  hostile  feeling  to  foreigners.  Once  he  was 
driven  out  of  a  village  and  told  he  must  go. 
While  standing  by  his  things,  waiting  for  the 
cart  to  come,  he  looked  at  his  watch  to  see  what 
time  it  was,  and  a  curious  bystander  held  out  his 
hand  and  said :  "  Let  me  see  your  watch."  Dr. 
Corbett  replied :  "  I  will  give  you  this  book, 
and  if  you  read  it,  and  believe,  it  will  be  worth 
more  to  you  than  a  hundred  watches."  The 
man  took  the  book,  which  was  a  copy  of  "  Mark's 
Gospel,"  and  after  Dr.  Corbett  left  he  read  it. 
Again  the  good  missionary  came  to  that  village, 
and  this  time   he  was  not  driven  out,   for  he 

40 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA        41 

was  cordially  welcomed  in  the  home  of  that 
man  ''  Wang/'  who  had  begged  for  his  watch. 
He  said: 

"  Oh,  I  had  an  awful  time  after  you  left.  I 
read  that  book  through,  but  I  threw  it  aside, 
saying,  '  That  book  is  for  sinners,  not  for  me? ' 
But  just  after  that  a  woman  went  across  my 
yard,  and  I  had  told  her  so  often  to  stop  going 
through  my  place  that  this  time  I  was  deter- 
mined to  stop  it,  and  I  lost  my  temper  and 
struck  her." 

Then  her  family  rose  up  and  demanded  money, 
and  after  a  terrible  time  with  the  angry  people, 
and  spending  much  money  to  feast  them,  the 
man  was  humiliated,  and  in  the  quiet  of  his 
home  he  acknowledged  that  he  ''  needed  that 
book,"  for  he  felt  himself  a  sinner,  and  he  read 
it  through  once  more  to  the  salvation  of  his 
soul.  Dr.  Corbett's  visit  occurred  just  at  the 
right  time,  and  he  led  that  soul  to  Christ. 
Through  that  one  convert,  many  others  were  in- 
fluenced and  souls  won  and  added  to  the  church, 
and  Dr.  Corbett's  name  is  honoured  and  rev- 
ered in  many  households  all  over  this  region. 
"  Li  Pa  "  was  one  of  his  converts  who  suffered 
persecution  for  his  faith.  One  day  his  heathen 
neighbours  gathered  around  his  house  with  light- 
ed torches,  preparing  to  set  fire  to  the  dry 
thatched  roof.  Dr.  Corbett,  hearing  of  the 
trouble,  entered  the  house  and  knelt  down,  of- 


42       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

fering  a  prayer  for  God  to  protect  this  family 
of  believers.  Instantly  a  heavy  shower  of  rain 
fell  and  soaked  the  roof,  and  the  heathen  were 
so  struck  by  the  speedy  answer  to  prayer  that 
they  left  the  place  and  never  bothered  them 
again. 

Then,  in  1882,  Rev.  Robert  H.  Mateer,  D.D., 
and  Rev.  J.  H.  Laughlin  came  and  bought  land, 
and  organized  the  Wei  Hsien  Mission.  The 
first  house  was  built  with  the  help  of  "  Li  Pa  " 
and  others,  and  w^as  put  up  with  difficulty,  for 
Mr.  Mateer  was  obliged  to  sleep  out  with  the 
lumber  to  keep  the  heathen  from  stealing  it. 
When  I  arrived  the  station  had  grown  so  there 
were  five  houses,  occupied  by  the  following  mis- 
sionaries— Rev.  and  Mrs.  R.  M.  Mateer,  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  J.  A.  Fitch,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  F.  H.  Chal- 
fant,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Wm.  Faries,  Miss  Fannie 
and  Rev.  Calvin  Wight,  Dr.  Mary  Brown,  Miss 
E.  F.  Boughton,  and  Mrs.  Mary  Crossette. 
There  were  the  two  High  Schools,  boys'  and 
girls',  and  also  primary  schools  in  the  country. 
Also  hospitals  for  men  and  women  and  a  plain 
neat  chapel  at  the  south  end  of  the  compound. 

Every  morning  at  eight  o'clock  a  big  bell 
swung  high  on  a  derrick-like  structure  sounded 
out  the  call  for  prayers,  and  everybody  in  the 
whole  compound,  Chinese  and  foreign,  dropped 
their  work  or  play,  and  catching  up  Testament 
and  hymn-book,  hurried  to  prayers.     There  were 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       43 

prayers  in  the  schools,  prayers  in  the  hospitals, 
prayers  at  the  big  gate  for  stray  Christians  and 
heathen,  and  prayers  in  the  homes.  There  may 
be  more  musical  voices  than  the  Chinese  have, 
but  when  I  returned  to  America  I  longed  to 
hear  the  Chinese  sing  at  morning  prayers.  It  is 
sweet  to  "  See  heathen  nations  bending  be- 
fore the  God  we  love."  Today  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  so  beautiful  in  every  language,  is  going 
up  from  the  lips  and  hearts  of  three  hundred 
thousand  Christians  in  China,  and  the  '*  Father 
seeketh  such  to  worship  Him." 

While  learning  the  language,  my  study  was  in 
the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mateer,  and  I  at- 
tended morning  prayers  with  them  at  the  Boys' 
High  School,  which  was  under  their  charge  and 
located  in  their  yard.  Their  little  children, 
"  Dickson  "  and  "  Kathleen,"  used  to  come  run- 
ning to  meet  me  and  give  me  a  good-morning 
kiss.  The  children  at  Wei  Hsien  are  the  bright, 
sweet  little  sunbeams  for  the  whole  compound. 
When  I  came  back  from  my  country  trips  they 
would  chatter  around  my  shenza  while  it  was 
being  lifted  down  from  the  mules'  backs,  and, 
as  I  climbed  out,  all  clamour  at  once  their  invi- 
tations to  take  my  first  meal  at  their  house.  It 
was  sweet  to  have  their  welcome,  and  fun  to 
hear  them  chatter: 

''Now  I  asked  her  first!" 

"  No,  I  did.     She  is  coming  to  our  house !  " 


44       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

And  away  they  would  run  to  tell  their  mother. 
Once  Mrs.  Chalfant,  on  an  errand  to  see  Mrs. 
Fitch,  who  happened  to  be  out,  found  little 
Worth  and  Hugh  helping  to  set  the  table,  and 
engaged  in  a  pretty  lively  argument,  with 
knives  and  forks  flourishing  in  their  hands. 

One  said:  "One  knife  and  fork  are  enough 
for  Miss  Hawes !  " 

The  other  said :  "  No,  she  ought  to  have  two, 
for  she  is  our  Sabbath-school  teacher !  " 

During  my  first  year  of  study  I  gathered  the 
little  foreign  children  together  on  Sabbath  after- 
noons for  a  lesson,  while  their  parents  were 
busy  teaching  the  Chinese.  One  day,  while  try- 
ing to  explain  to  them  the  lesson  about  the  last 
day  when  the  end  of  the  world  should  come  and 
everything  be  consumed,  little  Culbert  Faries, 
his  eyes  filled  with  alarm,  exclaimed: 

"  We'll  have  to  go  home  and  get  out  our 
things !  "  And  then,  when  the  others  giggled, 
he  said: 

''  Oh,  well,  we  are  going  home  to  Grandpa's 
next  year,  so  it  will  be  all  right." 

Another  day,  when  Culbert  seemed  really  to 
be  taking  in  the  lesson,  he  surprised  me  by  say- 
ing :  ''  We  are  going  to  have  cheese  for  sup- 
per!" Little  Margaret  Chalfant,  with  a  dis- 
gusted tone,  said: 

"  Oh !  Culbert,  that  hasn't  anything  to  do  with 
the  lesson." 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       45 

One  memorable  afternoon  little  Dickson  Ma- 
teer,  five  years  old,  repeated  to  the  class  the  fol- 
lowing true  story  which  he  had  heard  a  Chinese 
pastor  tell  at  the  morning  service :  "  A  Chris- 
tian woman  whose  heathen  husband  beat  her 
cruelly  because  she  persisted  in  going  to  church, 
one  day  knelt  by  the  bank  of  a  stream  and 
prayed  for  God  to  help  her,  as  she  saw  her  hus- 
band coming  after  her.  His  hard  heart  was 
touched,  and  instead  of  beating  her,  he  lifted 
her  up  on  his  back,  carried  her  over  the  stream, 
and  went  with  her  to  church,  where  he  heard 
the  message  of  salvation  and  became  a  Chris- 
tian." Little  Dickson  took  very  ill  that  evening, 
and  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  doctors,  who 
were  with  him  all  night,  passed  away  at  sun- 
rise. A  few  weeks  later  his  little  sister  Kath- 
leen was  taken,  both  children  affected  by  the 
same  strange  disease.  And  Jesus  gathered  these 
pure  lambs  to  His  bosom  from  our  little  Wei 
Hsien  circle.  Then  in  the  terrible  heat  of  the 
summer  of  1901,  when  thirteen  sons  of  mis- 
sionaries in  the  Chef 00  school  died  of  ptomaine 
poison,  our  dear  little  Worth  Fitch  was  taken. 
The  lives  of  children  are  very  precious  in  China, 
and  while  they  are  a  great  joy  to  the  mission- 
ary life,  they  are  also  a  source  of  anxious  care. 
My  first  share  in  mission  work  was  helping  to 
prepare  a  tiny  coffin  for  Irene  Hayes,  little 
daughter  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Watson  Hayes,  who 


46       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

was  playing  in  the  yard  when  I  arrived  in  Teng- 
chow,  but  was  dead  in  two  days  after.  The 
Chinese  make  no  coffins  for  children,  their  usual 
custom  being  to  throw  out  the  little  bodies  to  be 
devoured  by  dogs.  The  Christian  Chinese  give 
their  children  decent  Christian  burial,  and  we 
hope  to  see  a  universal  change  for  the  better  in 
this  regard  all  over  China.  However,  the  Chi- 
nese spend  freely  to  buy  the  huge  coffins  for 
grown  persons.  Display  is  considered  very  re- 
spectable, and  rich  people  spend  large  sums  upon 
funerals.  At  every  heathen  funeral,  cymbals 
and  gongs  are  sounded  and  guns  and  firecrack- 
ers fired  off  to  scare  away  the  evil  spirits.  The 
ancestral  tablet  is  set  up  under  a  canopy  of 
straw  mats  and  poles,  and  is  worshipped  by  the 
relatives,  who  dress  in  coarse  white  cloth  frayed 
at  the  edges,  and  there  is  loud  crying  to  indi- 
cate their  grief.  Sometimes  the  cries  are  paid 
for,  but  it  is  often  very  real,  and  it  is  heart- 
rending to  hear  the  wailing  of:  "Father!"  or 
"Mother!  My  Mother!"  from  those  who  sor- 
row without  hope. 

One  day  I  heard  a  woman,  passing  a  country 
chapel,  wailing,  "Father!  Father!"  and  going 
to  the  door,  I  said :  "  Sister,  you  come  here  this 
afternoon  and  listen  to  the  Jesus  story,  and  it 
will   comfort  you." 

The  woman  gave  no  sign  that  she  had  heard 
me,  but  passed  on,  crying,  her  head  bound  up 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       47 

in  white  and  the  white  garments  about  her.  But 
in  the  afternoon  that  woman  came  along,  dressed 
in  her  ordinary  clothes,  and  leading  a  little 
child.  She  talked  in  a  quiet  way  and  I  found 
out  that  she  had  bought  that  child  from  a  starv- 
ing family  for  a  few  strings  of  cash,  and  she 
was  very  kind  to  the  little  thing,  and  she  listened 
very  earnestly  to  the  Jesus  story  and  studied 
well.  She  was  comforted  and  is  now  a  Chris- 
tian woman. 

It  is  also  very  sad  to  see  little  Chinese  chil- 
dren burning  incense  to  and  worshipping  the 
"  Children's  god."  This  hideous  idol  has  his 
birthday  in  April,  and  at  that  time  the  heathen 
children  go  up  to  the  temple  with  offerings  to 
thank  the  idol  for  keeping  the  wolf  away  from 
them.  He  is  represented  as  holding  a  bow  and 
arrow,  ready  to  strike  the  wolf,  which  is  up  in 
the  ceiling,  ready  to  spring.  The  heathen  be- 
lieve that  when  a  child  dies,  if  its  body  is  not 
given  at  once  to  the  dogs,  the  dog  being  the 
nearest  relation  to  the  wolf,  that  the  real  wolf 
will  come  and  take  another  child.  Hence  the 
awful  custom  keeps  up  in  China,  and  it  is  a 
common  sight;  but  Christianity  is  helping  the 
children  more  and  more  every  year  to  leave  the 
"  Children's  god,"  and  come  to  the  Christ-child, 
and  many  little  children  in  China  are  happy  now 
when  Christmas  comes,  and  they  understand  it 
is  the  birthday  of  Jesus,  the  Friend  of  children. 


CHAPTER    VIII 
LEARNING  THE  LANGUAGE 

EVERY  new  missionary  who  comes  to  the 
interior  of  China  has  to  toil  the  first 
thing  to  learn  to  talk  in  Chinese,  for 
not  a  single  word  in  English  is  spoken  or  under- 
stood. So  I  found  myself  at  once  in  a  position 
where  I  could  not  talk,  which  is  putting  a  woman 
in  a  very  bad  fix.  In  a  day  or  so,  however,  my 
Chinese  teacher,  Wang  Yuan  Teh,  appeared 
with  smiling  face  and  little  blinking  black  eyes, 
very  clean  and  neat  in  his  plain  Oriental  dress, 
with  long  shiny  black  queue  down  his  back.  He 
looked  so  much  to  me  like  a  young  girl  with  his 
long  black  hair  and  flowing  garments  that  I  was 
reminded  of  my  nieces  at  home.  However,  he 
was  quite  dignified,  his  voice  was  very  clear  and 
distinct,  though  he  knew  no  English,  and  his 
patience  in  reading  the  sentences  from  the  les- 
son-book was  endless.  I  read  them  after  him 
like  a  poll-parrot,  imitating  his  tones  as  closely 
as  possible.  I  felt  sorry  for  him,  because  his 
eyes  were  so  badly  affected  he  was  obliged  to 
give  up  his  college  course  after  completing  his 
48 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       49 

first  year.  Dr.  Faries  examined  his  eyes,  feared 
he  was  going  blind,  and  told  him  so.  Poor 
Wang  prayed  all  night  in  his  room  for  God  to 
spare  his  eyes,  offering  himself  to  God's  ser- 
vice. His  prayer  was  answered,  his  eyes  grad- 
ually healed,  and  he  has  given  his  best  strength 
and  years  to  the  service  of  the  church. 

Inheriting  my  father's  love  for  languages,  it 
was  a  pleasure  to  me  to  study  Chinese,  but  it  is 
a  very  difficult  language,  and  I  grappled  des- 
perately with  the  conversation,  as  I  was  most 
anxious  to  get  a  working  knowledge  of  this 
strange  tongue.  Every  morning  I  rose  very 
early  and  committed  Chinese  sentences  before 
breakfast,  and  then,  after  morning  prayers,  be- 
gan to  study  with  the  teacher,  who  always  first 
bent  his  head,  removing  his  black  satin  cap  with 
the  red  button,  and  asked  God  to  help  "  Hwoa 
Kuniang "  to  get  the  language  so  she  could 
teach  his  people  the  "  True  Doctrine." 

^'  Hwoa  Kuniang  "  is  my  Chinese  name,  the 
nearest  approach  to  ''  Hawes  Miss."  The  Chin- 
ese always  say  the  title  last,  as  they  do  every- 
thing else  the  reverse  of  our  way.  For  instance, 
reading  a  book  from  the  back  to  the  front ;  read- 
ing the  denominator  before  the  numerator  of  a 
fraction;  wearing  white  instead  of  black  for 
mourning,  etc. 

My  handy  boy,  "  Li  Fang  Ling,"  was  a  great 
chatterbox,  and  therefore  a  great  help  in  get- 


50       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

ting  the  talk.  Also  I  used  to  set  him  at  reading 
the  lesson-book  to  me  after  the  teacher's  hours. 
He  often  had  to  dash  out  to  ask  a  school-boy 
to  tell  him  a  character  in  the  lesson  which  he 
did  not  know,  and  so  improved  his  own  read- 
ing. One  day  he  grew  tired  of  reading,  and 
when  Mrs.  Mateer  came  in  my  study  with  her 
baby,  saying  cheerfully,  "  Now  it's  five  o'clock. 
Time  to  stop,"  Li  Fang  Ling,  with  a  broad  grin, 
dropped  the  book  and  disappeared,  exclaiming: 
"  Mrs.  Mateer's  coming  is  so  lucky !  My  lips 
are  so  dry!    So  dry!  " 

CHINESE    ENGAGEMENTS.    ''' THEY    WOULD 
A-WOOING  GO  !  " 

One  day  Wang,  my  teacher,  startled  me  by 
saying  two  native  pastors  had  told  him  he  must 
get  engaged  to  be  married.  When  he  protested 
that  he  did  not  want  to,  these  ''middlemen" 
settled  his  case  by  saying  it  was  "  Chinese  cus- 
tom," and  he  meekly  asked  whom  they  had 
chosen  for  him  to  marry.  They  said,  "Li  Yu 
Mei,"  a  very  "  suitable  girl  in  the  Girls'  High 
School."  Wang  told  them  he  would  "  not  sign 
the  engagement  papers  till  Miss  Hawes  had  seen 
the  girl  and  told  him  what  she  was  like !  "  He 
had  never  seen  her,  as  a  broad  blue  and  white 
calico  curtain  with  splashy  figures  of  big-eyed 
fish  was  stretched  from  end  to  end  of  the  chapel, 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       51 

completely  screening  the  women  and  girls  from 
the  gaze  of  the  sterner  sex.  When  service  was 
ended,  the  men  left  the  church  by  the  main  door, 
while  the  women  remained  seated  for  some  time 
after,  and  then  left  by  a  side  door. 

All  this  was  so  different  from  our  American 
customs  that  I  objected  to  his  marrying  the  girl 
till  he  should  find  out  first  if  he  could  love  her, 
warning  him  that  he  might  make  a  terrible  mis- 
take which  would  spoil  his  life.  He  listened 
politely,  but  said :  ''  It  may  be  American  cus- 
tom for  young  men  and  women  to  see  each  other 
and  converse  before  marriage,  but  it  is  not  Chi- 
nese custom."  And  so,  to  please  Wang,  I  went 
to  the  Girls'  School,  where  Mrs.  Chalfant  was 
just  getting  the  girls  out  for  a  walk.  How  nice 
and  neat  and  happy  they  all  looked,  dressed  in 
clothing  made  by  their  own  hands,  even  to  their 
pretty  white  stockings  and  low  embroidered 
shoes  which  encased  their  unbound  feet.  Mrs. 
Chalfant  called  my  attention  to  a  shy  young 
maiden  with  very  sweet  expression,  but  very 
plain  face,  and  whispered :  "  She  is  Li  Yu  Mei." 

"  Oh,"  I  thought,  "  what  a  pity  my  nice 
teacher  cannot  get  one  of  the  pretty  girls!  " 

But  when  I  returned  and  said :  "  Wang,  she 
is  not  at  all  pretty,  but  she  has  a  nice  disposi- 
tion," he  smiled  with  perfect  content,  and  said: 

"  No  matter  about  the  looks.  Since  she  has 
a  good  heart,  it  is  all  right !  " 


52       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

And  he  signed  the  engagement  papers,  which 
in  China  are  as  binding  as  a  marriage  bond, 
and  "  Not  a  wave  of  trouble  rolled  across  his 
peaceful  breast."  He  sent  her  betrothal  pres- 
ents, and  everything  was  complete  and  satis- 
factory. 

A  few  days  later  Li  Fang  Ling  came  sheep- 
ishly into  the  room,  and  seated  himself  back  of 
my  chair,  close  to  the  rockers  on  the  floor,  and 
as  he  did  not  speak,  I  asked  him :  "  What  af- 
fair have  you,  sitting  back  there  so  I  can't  rock 
my  chair?"  He  laughed  a  little  nervously  and 
said  his  family  wanted  him  to  get  engaged! 
"  Curious,  thought  I,  that  these  young  people 
should  come  to  consult  me  about  their  love  mat- 
ters." When  I  asked  him  if  the  girl  he  wanted 
was  a  Christian,  he  said :  "  No,  but  she  is  will- 
ing to  study  the  doctrine." 

"  Has  she  unbound  her  feet?  " 

"  No,  her  feet  are  bound,  and  her  parents 
want  thirty  strings  of  cash  for  her." 

"  Well,  you  can't  have  her,"  I  said,  "  for  I 
won't  give  you  thirty  strings  of  cash  for  a 
heathen  girl  to  be  your  wife.  There  are  plenty 
of  good  Christian  girls  with  big  feet."  To  my 
relief,  he  said :  *'  I  never  saw  her  and  I  don't 
want  her.  My  people  told  me  to  ask  you."  And 
away  he  went,  glad  to  be  let  off  with  a  good 
excuse. 

Later  on,  however,  Cupid's  darts  began  to  fly 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       53 

again.  When  I  was  in  a  country  village,  among 
the  women  who  came  to  study  was  a  pretty 
young  Christian  school-girl,  whose  bright  eyes 
charmed  Li  Fang  Ling,  as  he  opened  the  gate 
to  admit  them,  and  I  saw  her  blushing  as  he 
silently  handed  her  an  empty  condensed-milk 
can,  which  she  slipped  up  her  sleeve.  In  vain 
he  tried  to  arrange  a  match  with  her,  for  her 
people  said  his  home  was  too  far  off,  and  be- 
sides, he  owned  no  land.  I  wonder  what  an 
American  girl  would  think  if  her  lover  had  only 
an  empty  tin  can  to  offer  her  for  a  present! 
Wang's  match  was  also  a  failure,  as  his  fiancee 
took  ill,  and  he  was  sent  for  to  pray  beside  her 
death-bed.  He  returned  looking  very  sad,  and 
said :  "  I  am  sorry  she  did  not  live,  for  I  could 
have  loved  that  girl.     She  was  very  nice." 

It  was  well  these  early  attempts  at  matrimony 
were  unsuccessful,  for  when  these  young  men 
grew  several  years  older  they  were  better  able 
to  care  for  a  wife,  and  were  both  happily  mar- 
ried to  good  women. 


CHAPTER   IX 

NEWS  FROM  HOME 

"As  Cold  Waters  To  A  Thirsty  Soul,  so  is  Good 
News  from  a  Far  Country." 

WE  were  always  so  glad  when  the  mail- 
messenger  arrived  from  Chefoo,  and 
eagerly  seized  our  share  of  home  let- 
ters when  the  mail-bag  was  emptied  out  and  con- 
tents divided.  Before  the  Boxer  riots  of  1900, 
having  no  railway  to  the  coast,  we  had  to  wait 
two  weeks  for  our  home  letters  to  be  brought 
to  us  from  Chefoo,  and  often  longer,  as  the 
roads  were  bad.  Now  we  rejoice  in  a  daily  mail 
delivery,  and  have  splendid  service  in  the  new 
Siberian  Railway,  which  brings  news  to  us  writ- 
ten by  our  friends  only  twenty-five  days  pre- 
vious. Sometimes  we  get  the  "  good  news  from 
the  far  country,"  but  alas !  bad  news  travels  fast, 
too,"  and  our  hearts  are  pierced  as  we  read  of 
the  dear  ones  who  leave  the  little  home  circle 
one  by  one. 

About  six  months  after  I  came  to  China  the 
news  reached  me  of  the  death  of  my  dear  sister, 

54 


The  House  Where  Miss  Hawes  Taught  Bible  Class 
Before  the  Boxer  Riots 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       55 

Mrs.  Tassey,  and  then  a  little  later  my  niece, 
Mary  Hawes  Nevin,  a  dear,  beautiful  girl. 
Again  the  gates  of  Heaven  have  opened  and  re- 
ceived my  sister,  Mrs.  Edward  P.  Hawes,  then 
her  mother,  and  then  my  beloved  nephew,  Ernest 
D.  Nevin.  These  are  the  times  when  we  feel 
most  keenly  the  separation  from  our  loved  ones, 
and  long  to  comfort  them  in  their  sorrow  as 
these  precious  ties  are  severed.  And  we  under- 
stand a  little  of  the  joy  it  will  be  when  we  shall 
all  reach  that  blessed  country  where  there  is  '*  no 
more  sea." 

Our  Chinese  friends  are  extremely  tender  and 
sympathetic  when  we  are  in  sorrow.  When  the 
news  came  to  me  of  my  nephew's  death,  an  old 
Christian  coolie  passed  by,  and  seeing  my  grief, 
prayed  on  his  knees,  the  tears  pouring  over  his 
face :  "  Heavenly  Father,  I  beseech  Thee,  help 
Hwoa  Kuniang!  She  has  some  deep  sorrow.  I 
don't  know  what  it  is,  but  if  it  is  any  of  us 
Chinese  who  have  hurt  her,  help  us  to  help 
her!" 

Dr.  S.  A.  Hunter,  while  living  at  Chining 
Chow,  was  shocked  one  day  by  his  cook  enter- 
ing his  study  loudly  weeping.  Asking  him  what 
dreadful  thing  had  happened,  he  could  not  at 
first  control  himself  to  reply. 

"Is  my  wife  sick?  Are  my  children  hurt?" 
asked  Dr.  Hunter  in  alarm. 

"  No,  no !     Your  mother  is  dead !  "     He  had 


56       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

just  been  told  by  Mrs.  Hunter,  who  had  first 
received  the  news. 

Especially  do  they  feel  for  us  when  an  old 
person  is  taken  from  our  family.  My  mother's 
beautiful  portrait,  hanging  in  my  study,  was 
greatly  reverenced.  Sometimes  the  heathen 
women  wanted  to  worship  her,  and  they  were 
always  willing  to  listen  when  I  talked  to  them 
of  how  she  loved  her  Saviour,  and  how  He 
came  to  meet  her  and  took  her  to  Heaven,  where 
she  is  waiting  for  me  and  my  sister.  And  how 
He  has  told  them  to  believe  in  Him  and  not  let 
their  hearts  be  troubled,  for  He  has  promised 
to  come  to  meet  them  too,  if  they  will  believe  in 
Him,  and  give  up  the  false  gods  which  have 
no  power  to  save  their  souls,  and  Jesus  will 
receive  them  too  in  His  Father's  house. 

The  Chinese  honour  their  old  people,  and  in 
their  ignorance,  worship  their  ancestry  at  the 
graves,  but  may  it  not  be  possible  that  China  is 
not  divided  up  today  between  the  nations  be- 
cause there  is  a  blessed  Fifth  Commandment, 
with  a  promise? 

"  Honor  Thy  Father  and  Thy  Mother !  " 

There  is  comfort  in  the  thought  that  God  has 
not  only  blessed  and  prospered  His  church 
through  the  fiery  persecutions  of  the  Boxer  war 
and  other  great  events,  but  He  has  also  used 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       5T 

even  our  individual  troubles  to  advance  His 
Kingdom.  One  striking  instance  of  this  oc- 
curred when  I  was  teaching  a  class  in  a  heathen 
village,  forty-five  li  from  Wei  Hsien.  It  was 
cold  weather  and  the  snow  was  all  over  the 
ground,  when  the  messenger  came  out,  bringing 
me  fresh  bread  and  home  letters,  sent  out  by 
Mrs.  Chalfant.  I  was  glad  to  see  him,  for  it 
had  been  hard  work  to  start  that  class.  I  was 
the  first  foreign  woman  who  had  ever  been  in 
that  village,  and  it  was  such  a  circus  to  the  vil- 
lagers, who  crowded  in  so  all  around  me  to  see 
the  "  Foreign  Devil "  I  could  scarcely  turn 
around  to  get  my  meals  or  rest,  and  my  teacher, 
who  tried  to  preach  in  the  yard,  advised  me  to 
give  it  up  and  go  to  another  village,  but  I  said : 
"  No,  I  am  not  going  to  let  the  devil  get  this 
village  if  I  can  help  it."  Then  God  heard  our 
prayers  and  gave  us  a  good  Bible  class.  The 
people's  curiosity  abated,  and  we  had  about 
twenty-five  women  studying  around  the  rude 
tables  for  twenty-one  days  and  souls  were  won. 
One  of  the  women  had  come  there  very  much 
against  her  will.  She  wxnt  crying  along  the 
road  with  her  little  six-year-old  daughter,  and 
when  people  asked  her  what  was  the  matter,  she 
would  say :  '^  Oh,  I  don't  want  to  go  to  the 
devil's  class,  and  learn  their  religion!  My  hus- 
band made  me  come  because  he  is  one  of  the 
*  Second  Devils,'  but  I  am  not  one." 


58       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

When  she  arrived  her  httle  girl  came  to  me 
and  told  me  her  name  was  "  Chuen  Mei  "  (that 
is,    "Beautiful    Spring"),    and    it    pleased    the 
mother  to  see  me  pet  the  child  and  listen  to  her 
little    songs.      The    Holy    Spirit    completed    the 
work  in  her  heart  when  she  saw  me  in  trouble. 
For  the  women  clustered  around  me  to  hear  me 
translate  to  them  my  letters,  and  tell  them  the 
wonderful   news    from   across   the   sea.      Alas! 
The  first  letter  told  me  of  my  dear  niece's  death, 
and  little  Chuen  Mei  patted  my  hands  and  tried 
to  comfort  me.     Then,  hearing  the  cymbals  and 
noise  of  a  passing  funeral,  I  told  them  how  my 
niece  had  gone  to  Heaven  because  she  believed 
in  the  Saviour,  so  I  would  surely  see  her  again, 
but  "  those  people  out  there  going  to  the  temple 
to  worship  idols  have  not  this  hope,   for  their 
loved  one  did  not  believe  in  the  true  God."    And 
then  the  mother  who  "did  not  want  to  learn 
our  religion  "  gave  her  heart  to  Jesus  and  be- 
came a  Christian.     She  has  been  a  faithful  stu- 
dent and  Bible  woman  ever  since,  and  her  little 
daughter   has   graduated    from   our   Wei  Hsien 
High  School  and  is  now  teaching  in  that  very 
village  a  school  of  twenty  Christian  girls.     An- 
other heathen  woman,  Mrs.  Hu,  also  became  a 
Christian  at  that  time,  and  has  helped  to  teach 
the   women   in   the  villages   around   her   home. 
Her  daughter  is  also  one  of  our  graduates  and 
teaches  the  girls'  school  at  Chining  Chow. 


Ch'un  Mei  and  Ukr  Twenty  Christian  Scholars 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       59 

All  the  idols  have  been  taken  out  of  that 
temple  where  that  heathen  funeral  went  that 
day,  and  have  been  pitched  into  a  deep  ditch 
in  front  of  the  temple,  which  has  now  been  con- 
verted into  a  boys'  school. 

''  Fear  not,  little  flock,  for  it  is  your  Father's 
good  pleasure  to  give  you  the  Kingdom." 


CHAPTER    X 
DELIGHTS    OF    COUNTRY    WORK   IN    CHINA 

WHILE  the  educational  work  in  the 
compound  is  interesting  and  very  im- 
portant, the  foreign  missionary  who 
goes  outside  the  compound  walls  and  visits  from 
village  to  village  in  the  homes  of  the  people  sees 
the  great  need,  gets  into  their  life,  and  finds  her 
way  into  their  hearts  in  a  way  she  never  could 
in  the  schoolroom  of  the  foreign  compound. 
Happy  was  I  when  I  could  take  my  Bible-woman 
with  me  in  the  shenza,  cart,  or  barrow,  and 
start  out  for  a  country  trip,  and  many  an  upset 
have  we  had,  too.  But  never  any  bones  broken, 
and  we  have  always  had  cause  for  rejoicing. 

We  have  one  hundred  and  seventy  out-sta- 
tions, and  six  thousand  Christians  in  the  wide 
district  around  Wei  Hsien,  with  a  population  of 
about  three  million  people.  This  district  is 
visited  by  our  evangelistic  foreign  missionaries, 
native  pastors  and  helpers.  My  work  is  teaching 
the  women  and  children  in  this  district,  visiting 
in  the  homes,  and  holding  Bible  classes.  And 
now  such  beautiful  progress  has  been  made  by 

60 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       61 

our  Christian  women  in  their  Bible  studies  it  is 
wonderful  to  see  the  changes  that  have  taken 
place,  in  contrast  to  the  early  days.  Instead  of 
my  having  to  crowd  in  the  shenza  with  a  fat 
Chinese  woman  and  her  heavy  baggage,  and 
travel  in  that  uncomfortable  way  for  a  day's 
time  to  my  Bible  class  in  the  country,  I  go  out 
entirely  free,  and  find  plenty  of  good  Christian 
women  in  the  neighborhood  of  wherever  I  teach 
a  class,  who  are  trained  workers  now  and  glad 
to  come  when  called  from  their  homes  to  help 
in  the  work.  Some  of  these  before  the  riots 
had  only  just  learned  their  first  prayer.  The 
steady  teaching,  with  God's  blessing,  has  brought 
about  this  happy  change. 

Then,  at  the  close  of  my  Bible  classes,  the 
women  go  out,  two  by  two,  throughout  the 
heathen  villages,  where  there  are  no  Christians, 
and  spend  weeks  at  a  time,  voluntarily  teaching 
the  Gospel. 

There  is  a  distressing  lack  of  native  pastors 
and  evangelists  in  our  Wei  Hsien  district,  be- 
cause of  the  constant  demand  from  outside 
places  for  our  trained  men;  and  also,  because  of 
the  inadequate  support  for  our  native  ministry, 
in  the  face  of  the  increased  cost  of  living  and 
education  of  their  children.  Wei  Hsien  mission 
is  called  upon  for  Christian  workers  from  all 
over  China.  Our  graduates  go  out  to  every 
province,  and  each  year  our   own  Wei   Hsien 


62       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

work  must  suffer  because  of  this  constant  drain. 
While  we  rejoice  that  so  many  are  doing  such 
splendid  work  throughout  China,  preaching  the 
Gospel  and  filling  positions  of  trust,  yet  we  pray 
earnestly  for  an  out-pouring  of  God's  Spirit 
upon  our  country  work  around  Wei  Hsien,  that 
the  native  pastors,  and  teachers,  and  evangelists, 
who  are  coming  out  from  our  Union  Theolog- 
ical Seminary  at  Tsingchowfu,  and  those  al- 
ready on  the  field,  may  be  cheered  by  receiving 
better  support  for  their  labours,  and  still  more 
abundant  spiritual  fruits.  Men  Christians  are 
being  constantly  trained  for  Christian  work  by 
conventions  and  Bible  classes  held  both  at  Wei 
Hsien  and  in  the  country  districts  by  our  for- 
eign missionaries,  and  they  go  out  in  bands  of 
two,  three,  and  even  as  many  as  forty  through- 
out heathen  villages  where  there  are  no  Chris- 
tians, sowing  broadcast  the  good  seed  in  the 
desert  places.  This  is  voluntary  work  sub- 
scribed and  given  freely  by  the  Christians.  Ten 
thousand  days  of  voluntary  preaching  were  sub- 
scribed in  one  section  recently,  account  kept  of 
the  promised  time,  and  credit  given  for  each 
day's  preaching.  The  people  are  doing  the  work 
earnestly  and  enthusiastically. 

Before  the  riots  I  went  out  with  our  Dr. 
Mary  Brown  on  a  wheel-barrow  to  visit  her  old 
Bible-woman  who  lived  in  a  village  seventy  li 
from  Wei  Hsien.     The  old  lady  vv^as  out  when 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       63 

we  arrived  at  sunset,  but  soon  she  came  in,  say- 
ing :  "  I  have  just  been  out  watching-  the  men 
dig  my  grave,  and  I  told  them  to  wait  for  a 
better  day,  as  it  looked  like  rain."  This  was 
several  years  before  she  died,  but  the  Chinese 
are  very  fore-handed  about  such  things,  and 
they  believed  her  recent  stroke  meant  a  speedy 
death. 

They  also  have  a  way  of  dressing  sick  people 
in  their  grave  clothes  which  would  shock  any 
American  into  speedy  dissolution.  One  of  our 
Wei  Hsien  school-girls  was  very  ill  when  I  came 
to  her  village,  far  out  from  Wei  Hsien.  She 
was  so  pleased  to  see  me,  and  happy  with  some 
little  Christmas  gifts  I  gave  her,  which,  I  told 
her,  were  just  like  those  her  classmates  had  re- 
ceived from  our  American  friends  across  the 
sea.  She  was  very  pretty,  with  heavy  braids  of 
glossy  black  hair  and  dark  eyes.  She  asked  my 
Bible-woman  to  comb  her  hair  for  her,  and  the 
next  day  she  asked  her  mother  to  dress  her  in 
her  grave  clothes,  saying :  ''  I  am  all  ready.  I 
must  go."  When  her  grandfather  asked  her  if 
Jesus  had  come  for  her,  she  said :  "  Not  yet,  but 
He  is  coming."  And  in  a  moment  she  saw  Him 
coming,  and  died  with  a  triumphant  smile. 

In  the  same  village  a  woman  died  in  great 
terror,  screaming  all  night :  "  Satan  has  come ! 
I  am  bound !  He  has  bound  me !  "  When  her 
Christian  sister  urged  her  to  believe  and  trust  in 


64       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

Jesus,  as  she  had  often  urged  her  to  before  she 
took  sick,  the  poor  woman  only  wailed :  "  Too 
late  now,  I  am  bound!  "  and  died  in  agony. 

Dr.  Ting,  for  years  before  the  Boxer  riots, 
was  our  Dr.  Faries'  Christian  helper  in  the  hos- 
pital. He  died  on  his  knees  while  praying  (dur- 
ing the  Boxer  war),  after  many  noble  services 
rendered  to  poor  persecuted  Christians.  His 
widow  has  done  beautiful  work  with  me  in  the 
country  as  my  Bible-woman,  and  has  won  many 
souls  to  Christ.  Her  eldest  daughter,  "  Dor- 
cas," a  graduate  of  our  High  School,  studied 
medicine,  and  was  the  favorite  native  assistant 
to  the  sick  in  the  Woman's  Hospital.  She  be- 
came ill,  and  after  suffering  many  months,  died 
in  great  peace.  I  visited  her  many  times  during 
her  illness,  and  when  I  would  go  to  her,  saying, 
"  I  love  you,  Dorcas,  and  Jesus  loves  you,"  she 
would  always  smile  so  brightly  and  say,  "  I 
know."  One  day  her  mother  left  the  room,  and 
heard  Dorcas  laughing.  Wonderingly  she  went 
to  her,  asking :    "  What  are  you  laughing  at  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  am  thinking  of  Heaven  and  the  golden 
streets  and  the  gates  of  pearl!  " 

When  I  saw  her  again  she  asked  me  to  sing 
"  We  are  out  on  an  ocean  sailing,"  and  joined 
with  me  in  the  last  verse,  her  voice  very  weak, 
but  the  words  especially  clear  at  the  last — "Wan- 
liao  hsin  k'ou,  cKengliao  pan  wang/'  etc.  That 
is,  in  English: 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       65 

"  When  we  all  are  safely  anchored, 
We  will  shout,  our  trials  o'er; 
We  will  walk  about  the  city. 
And  we'll  sing  forevermore." 

In  a  year  her  younger  sister,  "  Ai  Hsiang," 
that  is,  "  Fragrant  Love,"  passed  away.  She 
was  a  lovely  young  Christian,  one  of  our  school- 
girls, and  just  before  her  death  she  opened  her 
eyes  very  wide  and  said :  "  Why,  who  are  all 
these  people?  All  dressed  in  white!"  Her 
aunt  said :  "  What  people  ?  "  The  girl  said : 
"  Why  these  people  all  dressed  in  white !  "  Then 
suddenly  she  exclaimed :  "  Sister !  Sister !  "  and 
with  a  bright  smile  she  joined  her  sister  in 
Heaven.  I  often  think  God  manifests  Himself 
most  clearly  to  these  people  to  encourage  them 
in  their  Christian  faith,  and  dear  Ai  Hsiang's 
glimpse  of  the  white-robed  angels  and  her  sister 
was  one  of  many  triumphant  deaths  in  these 
humble  homes  where  God  sends  His  messengers. 

Once  I  slept  in  a  room  where  there  was  a 
very  large  coffin,  and  the  rats  were  very  free 
about  chasing  over  my  bed,  as  often  happened 
in  my  travels.  In  the  morning,  when  the  family 
gathered  for  prayers,  the  old  grandfather  smiled, 
and  smoothing  the  coffin  with  his  hand,  said  to 
me:  ''  See  what  a  beautiful  coffin  my  son  has 
given  to  me.  Isn't  the  wood  fine  ?  It  cost  a  lot 
of  money."  When  the  old  folks  in  China  get 
a  present  of  a  coffin  from  their  sons,  they  con- 


66       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

sider  it  a  very  high  mark  of  fiHal  love,  and  are 
proud  as  peacocks,  not  in  the  least  taking  it  as  a 
hint  for  them  to  use  it. 

Just  before  the  Boxer  riots  began  in  Shan- 
tung, I  had  a  large  class  in  Poa  Hsing,  where 
many  women  studied  the  Gospel  for  the  first 
time.  It  was  growing  dangerous  then,  however, 
and  every  night  the  native  pastor  and  elder  kept 
watch,  as  the  thieves  were  busy  and  had  stolen 
a  donkey  and  burned  the  gate  of  one  of  the 
Christian  families.  After  the  riots,  wh^n  I  re- 
turned to  China,  I  had  another  large  class  in 
that  region,  and  the  elder  said :  "  All  those 
women  you  had  in  that  class  before  the  riots 
can  read  in  their  Bibles  now!  "  After  this  very 
encouraging  class  was  over,  Elder  Liu  got  out 
his  big  cart,  and  packed  it  with  our  bedding, 
and  my  Bible-woman  and  I  sat  on  top,  while 
the  men  helpers  walked.  The  cart  was  drawn 
by  a  big  mule,  and  in  front  a  pair  of  very  large 
strong  oxen.  We  travelled  for  several  miles, 
and  then  we  came  to  a  river  which  we  hoped  to 
cross  by  bridge,  and  so  reach  a  village  on  the 
other  side,  where  we  had  promised  our  next 
Bible  class.  But  alas!  The  bridge  was  nearly 
all  washed  away  by  a  flood  of  high  water  and 
floating  blocks  of  ice!  The  prospect  was  not 
alluring,  but  a  coolie  was  hired  to  lead  the  oxen, 
and,  selecting  a  place  to  cross  where  the  water 
seemed  the  shallowest — but  alas!  the  bank  was 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       67 

steepest — the  elder,  cracking  his  long  whip  and 
shouting,  the  cart,  with  all  of  us  and  our  stuff 
on  top  of  it,  went  with  a  tremendous  swoop 
down  into  the  icy  river!  We  got  only  about  a 
third  of  the  way  across,  when  the  oxen  stooped 
to  drink,  and  the  coolie  tugged  in  vain,  for 
they  were  as  fixed  as  a  stone  wall,  and  the  cart 
veered  around  with  the  strong  current.  A  big 
crowd  collected  on  the  bank,  and  ten  men  (par- 
tially disrobed)  waded  out  to  help  us.  My  cook 
dropped  off  the  cart  and  bravely  carried  my 
Bible-woman  across  on  his  back  to  lighten  the 
load.  Finally,  after  a  great  deal  of  screeching 
and  prodding  and  tugging,  the  animals  moved 
and  drew  the  cart  safely  across.  We  had  a 
splendid  class  of  women  studying  for  two 
weeks,  after  we  got  settled  in  the  village  where 
they  expected  us. 

During  a  trip  through  Lin  K'iu  in  1909,  my 
shenza  upset  six  times,  and  during  the  last  over- 
throw one  of  the  shenza  poles  broke  in  two, 
and  landed  me  and  my  poor  Bible-woman  on 
the  side  of  the  road,  in  the  late  afternoon,  sev- 
enteen li  from  the  village  we  were  bound  for; 
and  there  we  sat  and  anointed  our  wounded 
feelings,  till  a  wheel-barrow  could  be  hired, 
which  took  us  by  the  light  of  the  stars  to  our 
stopping  place  for  the  night.  Since  that  trip  I 
have  quit  using  shenzas  almost  entirely,  and 
find  I  receive  fewer  bruises  and  bumps,  to  say 


68       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

nothing  of  the  aggravations,  by  using  wheel- 
barrows; for  they  do  not  upset  so  often,  and  get 
there  in  the  end,  although  they  are  slow  and  we 
are  sometimes  delayed  by  bad  roads.  On  my 
return  to  the  compound,  the  missionaries  gave 
me  a  welcome  as  they  always  do,  and  Mrs. 
Grace  Wells  came  to  see  me  and  said :  "  Now, 
Miss  Hawes,  I  think  your  fiftieth  birthday  ought 
to  be  celebrated,  so  I  want  you  and  all  the  ladies 
to  come  to  tea  tomorrow."  So  we  had  a  happy 
little  jubilee  together,  November  2,  1909,  and 
the  ladies  of  Wei  Hsien  Mission  all  sang  the 
following  original  poem,  composed  by  Mrs. 
Wells,  to  the  tune  of  ''Clementine,"  waving  their 
handkerchiefs  with  the  last  verse : 


From  a  town  in  Pennsylvania, 
Pittsburg,  if  you  care  to  know, 
Came  a  lady  missionary, 
Ten  or  twelve  long  years  ago. 


Came  and  lived  in  Wei  Hsien  compound 
Till  the  Boxers  burned  the  place. 
But  they  could  not  scare  her  always; 
Back  she  came  with  shining  face. 


Oft  she  goes  itinerating. 
And  she  gets  so  many  falls. 
But  she  picks  herself  together 
And  into  the  shenza  crawls. 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       69 

Bright  and  cheerful,  always  laughing, 
Did  you  ever  see  her  like? 
H  you're  ever  blue  or  doleful, 
Just  you  to  her  south  house  hike ! 

Now  she  says  she's  all  of  fifty, 
But  she  looks  a  young  thing  yet. 
And  we  think  perhaps  in  dream-land, 
That  her  age  she  did  forget. 

Here's  to  fifty,  fifty  summers, 

Here's  to  many  years  to  come, 

Let  us  all  rejoice  together, 

Blow  the  trumpet,  sound  the  drum !  " 

This  delightful  occasion  was  enlivened  at  the 
close  by  the  arrival  of  a  home  mail,  and  we  all 
had  the  joy  of  receiving  letters  from  our  dear 
friends  across  the  sea.  And  some  nice  Christ- 
mas gifts  came  to  me  just  in  time  to  be  my  birth- 
day gifts. 


CHAPTER   XI 
THE  BOXER  WAR 

RUMOURS  kept  coming  to  us  of  a  wide- 
spread anti- foreign  feeling  among  the 
Chinese  for  some  time  previous  to  the 
outbreak  at  Wei  Hsien.  The  young  Emperor 
Kwang  Su  (like  the  progressive  Chinese  who 
had  started  the  Reform  Party)  became  an  eager 
student  of  Western  learning.  The  Bible  had 
been  presented  to  the  Empress  Dowager  by  the 
native  Christian  women  of  China,  but  she  dis- 
played no  interest  in  its  sacred  pages.  Not  so 
Kwang  Su,  who  read  it,  and  every  book  he 
could  get,  issued  by  the  Christian  Literature  So- 
ciety, or  from  other  sources,  recommended  by 
some  of  his  influential  advisers  who  were  stu- 
dents of  Occidental  science  and  political  econ- 
omy. He  bought  many  scientific  works,  besides 
maps,  globes,  and  wind  and  current  charts.  He 
could  scarcely  wait  for  the  new  publications  to 
arrive  after  sending  ojff  his  order  for  them,  and 
when  he  sent  to  the  express  office  to  get  books 
which  had  not  yet  arrived  from  the  publishers, 
the  poor  underlings  were  afraid  to  go  back  lest 

70 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       71 

they  should  lose  their  heads  if  they  appeared 
without  those  books  before  the  disappointed 
king.  Kwang  Su  would  also  line  up  the  eunuchs, 
who  of  course  were  all  heathen  men,  and  he 
would  quiz  them  on  the  Bible,  portions  of  which 
he  had  copied  from  the  sacred  book  on  great 
sheets  of  yellow  paper.  The  eunuchs,  not  hav- 
ing  any  knowledge  of  sacred  literature,  would 
grab  any  native  pastor  or  native  Christian  and 
bring  them  in  and  treat  them  to  tea,  and  get 
them  to  explain  the  lesson  which  they  were  to 
be  examined  upon  and  felt  it  was  to  their  in- 
terest to  pass  well. 

One  of  the  most  powerful  works  then  pub- 
lished was  a  book  called  ''  China's  Only  Hope," 
written  by  the  Viceroy  "  Chang  Chi  Tung,"  and 
printed  by  the  Tsung  Li  Yamen,  copies  of  which 
were  sent  by  royal  command  to  the  high  officials 
of  the  empire,  and  it  was  advertised  on  big  yel- 
low posters  everywhere.  It  was  said  that  this 
book  "  made  more  history  in  a  shorter  time  than 
any  other  modern  piece  of  literature;  that  it  as- 
tonished a  kingdom,  convulsed  an  empire,  and 
brought  on  a  war."  This  book  and  many  others 
opened  the  eyes  of  the  emperor  to  the  causes  of 
China's  weakness,  and  suggested  to  him  mate- 
rial for  his  reform  edicts,  which  he  issued  in 
rapid  succession.  But  China  was  not  yet  ready 
for  such  reforms,  and  the  very  day  and  hour 
when  Dr.    Timothy   Richard,    secretary   of   the 


72       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

Christian  Literature  Society  for  China  arrived 
in  Peking,  especially  invited  by  the  Chinese  Gov- 
ernment as  adviser  to  the  king  in  carrying  out 
his  reforms,  the  Empress  Dowager  arose,  and 
wrested  the  reins  of  government  from  the  em- 
peror, and  Kuang  Su  became  a  helpless  pris- 
oner in  one  of  his  own  palaces,  September  22nd, 
1898. 

Just  at  this  time,  too,  the  Yellow  River  over- 
flowed its  banks,  flooding  out  three  hundred  vil- 
lages, and  rendering  a  million  people  homeless. 
Then  followed  famine  and  pestilence,  and  the 
poor,  superstitious  people  believed  the  gods  were 
angry  because  the  traditions  of  their  fathers 
were  not  regarded.  Then  sprang  up  the  secret 
society  known  as  the  ''  Boxers,"  sworn  to  kill 
or  drive  out  of  China  all  foreigners,  and  uproot 
Christianity  and  everything  foreign.  "  Away 
with  these  foreign  devils  who  have  absorbed 
our  ports  and  our  land,  and  have  brought  tele- 
graphs, steamboats  and  railroads,  and  taken 
away  the  Chinaman's  means  of  livelihood  by  in- 
troducing foreign  machinery  instead  of  wheel- 
barrows, carts,  or  boats,  or  hand-looms."  These 
Boxers  met  daily  in  the  temples  and  government 
buildings,  and  were  drilled  in  the  use  of  the 
sword  and  other  exercises,  supposed  to  make 
them  invulnerable  to  foreign  swords  and  guns. 
Boxers  were  easily  recognized  by  a  peculiar 
mark  on  the    forehead,  made  by  knocking  the 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       73 

head  on  the  ground  whenever  they  met  for  drill. 

The  Empress  Dowager  had  no  intention 
of  putting  down  the  Boxers,  but  furthered  a 
union  between  them  and  her  Imperial  troops, 
and  thus  turned  one  of  the  most  troublesome 
foes  of  the  Manchu  Dynasty  against  the  for- 
eigners. She  sympathized  with  the  slow,  con- 
servative Chinese  who  protested  against  any 
change  in  old  customs  and  the  Reform  edicts  of 
the  young  emperor.  These  edicts  she  proceeded 
to  destroy,  and  under  her  powerful  influence, 
the  Boxer  war  swept  through  the  country  until 
the  spring  of  1900  found  every  province  in  a 
tumult,  and  the  legations  in  Peking  closely  be- 
sieged and  protecting  the  missionaries. 

On  June  20th  the  German  Minister,  Baron 
Von  Kettler,  while  riding  in  a  chair  on  the  pub- 
lic street,  was  shot  and  killed  by  the  Imperial 
troops.  The  same  day  all  the  missionaries  fled 
for  safety  to  the  British  Legation,  and  the  na- 
tive Christians  to  a  large  building  close  by, 
which  had  just  been  vacated  by  Prince  Su.  Here 
they  were  made  comfortable  and  guarded  by 
foreign  soldiers. 

Just  before  this,  on  the  night  of  June  13th, 
the  Boxers  had  held  high  carnival,  looting,  burn- 
ing, and  murdering,  and  the  streets  of  Peking 
were  strewn  with  the  bodies  of  native  converts. 
Imperial  soldiers  arresting  all  who  tried  to  es- 
cape, and  turning  them  over  to  the  Boxers;  and 


74        NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

official  police  served  hot  tea  to  refresh  the 
Boxers  in  their  fiendish  work.  No  words  can 
depict  the  reign  of  terror  through  which  the 
Chinese  Christian  has  passed  during  that  Boxer 
war  all  over  China,  and  nobly  has  he  stood  the 
test!  The  streets  of  Peking  flowed  with  the 
blood  of  those  faithful  ones  who  refused  to 
deny  their  Lord.  The  missionaries  were  spotted 
as  "  foreign  devils,"  and  were  exposed  to  the 
awful  tide  of  fury  and  hatred  of  the  Boxer 
party,  who  with  the  official  sanction  of  the  Em- 
press Dowager,  had  unlimited  power  to  perse- 
cute. 

When  I  visited  Peking  in  May,  19 12,  I  rode 
under  the  splendid  archway  of  stone,  built  over 
the  main  street  of  the  city  by  the  Chinese  Gov- 
ernment to  the  memory  of  the  murdered  German 
Minister,  Baron  Von  Kettler,  and  I  saw  in  the 
British  Legation  Chapel  a  beautiful  polished 
brass  lectern,  the  sacred  Bible  upheld  by  the 
shining  wings  of  an  American  eagle.  At  the 
foot  of  the  pedestal  are  inscribed  the  words: 
"  Presented  to  the  British  Legation  by  the 
American  missionaries  who  were  sheltered  in 
this  chapel  during  the  siege,  June  20 — August 
14,  1900."  When  I  stood  in  that  peaceful  little 
sanctuary  and  looked  around,  I  wondered  how 
all  those  missionaries  and  their  children  could 
possibly  have  crowded  into  that  little  chapel  and 
lived  through   those   seven  awful   weeks  listen- 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       75 

ing  to  the  shot  and  shells  and  howling  mob  just 
over  the  wall  beside  them.  There  they  were 
shut  up,  feeding  on  porridge  made  of  the  grain 
which  they  ground  themselves,  brought  to  them 
by  soldiers  who  managed  to  secure  it  for  them 
from  deserted  granaries;  and  during  this  trying 
time  the  Empress  Dowager  sent  them  gifts  of 
poisoned  flour  and  other  food,  which  they  dared 
not  eat  lest  it  too  was  poisoned ;  and  letters  urg- 
ing them  to  "  Come  out/'  as  they  were  in 
"  great  danger,"  and  she  "  could  not  protect 
them  any  longer  unless  they  would  go  with  the 
escort  of  soldiers  (which  she  would  provide  for 
them)  to  the  yamen."  Fearing  treachery  and 
certain  death  by  going  out,  they  made  no  reply, 
and  again  letters  came  from  the  Empress,  say- 
ing she  was  their  "  best  friend,"  and  urging 
them  to  "  allow  the  soldiers  to  escort  them  to 
Tientsin,  where  they  would  be  safe,  etc."  Then, 
with  the  other  hand,  she  wrote  edicts,  doubling 
the  price  of  foreign  heads,  and  wrote  letters  say- 
ing: "  I  can't  get  them  out!  "  Also,  ridiculing 
the  foreign  women  of  the  Legation,  saying: 
"  They  think  I  am  'so  nice.'  When  it  is  all 
over,  I  will  invite  them  to  a  feast,  and  they  will 
come,  and  a  few  rolls  of  silk  presented  to  them 
will  make  it  all  right,  and  they  will  think  I  am 
so  nice."     And  it  was  just  as  she  said. 

The  Peking  missionaries  all  bear  testimony  to 
the  noble  generosity  and  helpfulness  of  the  Le- 


76       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

gation  ladies.  Mrs.  Conger  was  such  an  angel 
of  mercy  among  the  wounded  soldiers;  they 
called  her  ''  Fairy  Godmother."  When  the  ma- 
terial lacked  for  making  sand-bags,  she  brought 
out  her  dainty  hemstitched  linen  and  the  "  roll 
of  silk,"  presented  to  her  by  the  Empress  Dow- 
ager the  previous  year,  and  gave  them  for  sand- 
bags, and  Lady  MacDonald  gave  her  beautiful 
silk  portieres  freely,  to  be  cut  up  for  sand-bags, 
and  the  Legation  ladies  made  1,500  sand-bags 
in  three  days.  All  hands  were  busy  and  many 
thousands  of  these  bags,  filled  with  earth — for 
they  had  no  sand — were  piled  up  as  fast  as  made. 
The  room  used  for  the  hospital  was  gloomy  and 
dark  because  of  the  necessity  of  piling  sand- 
bags up  high  around  the  windows,  and  oh,  how 
brave  the  soldiers  were!  The  missionaries  say: 
"  Ever  will  we  remember  the  brave  marines  who 
protected  us."  And  how  they  wept  when  the 
brave  men  were  wounded  and  were  so  unwilling 
to  lay  aside  gun  and  belt  when  they  knew  they 
were  so  needed.  One  brave  soldier  with  a  bul- 
let in  his  right  arm  declared  he  couldn't  stand  it 
to  be  "  caged  up  in  the  hospital ;  he  would  go 
back!  He  would  go  back!"  The  nurses — who 
were  our  missionaries — had  hard  work  to  get 
him  to  lie  down,  to  see  to  his  wound.  Then 
those  who  were  wounded  to  the  death — some  of 
them  mere  boys — who  fought  so  nobly  against 
that  terrible  Boxer  army  and  fell  from  the  wall 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       77 

in  the  brave  defence!  And  the  beautiful  spirit 
of  love  between  the  various  nationalities !  When 
an  American  soldier  was  carried  in,  a  Russian 
prepared  his  grave,  and  when  another  American 
offered  to  take  the  service,  the  Russian  said: 
"  Let  me  do  it.  He  was  with  me  on  the  wall !  " 
A  young  British  soldier  prepared  the  little  grave 
for  the  little  child  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Inglis,  who 
took  fever  and  died  during  the  siege,  and  asked 
the  privilege  of  keeping  it  in  order,  saying  he 
had  a  "  Httle  one  across  the  sea  himself." 

The  Empress  Dowager  sent  out  an  edict  by 
the  fastest  riders  to  T'ai  Yuan  Fu,  for  circula- 
tion broadcast :  "  I  command  that  all  foreign- 
ers, men,  women  and  children,  old  and  young, 
be  summarily  executed.  Let  not  one  escape,  so 
that  my  Empire  may  be  purged  of  this  noisome 
source  of  corruption,  and  that  peace  may  be  re- 
stored to  my  loyal  subjects."  Jung  Lu,  one  of 
the  Queen's  advisers,  and  high  in  favour,  tried  to 
stop  this,  asking :  "  What  glory  could  China 
expect  to  gain  by  the  slaughter  of  women  and 
children?  We  should  become  the  laughing- 
stock of  the  world,  and  the  Old  Buddha's  wide- 
spread fame  and  reputation  for  benevolence 
would  be  grievously  injured."  "  Yes,"  replied 
the  Empress  Dowager,  "  but  these  foreigners 
of  yours  wish  to  see  me  deposed,  and  I  am  only 
paying  off  old  scores.  Ever  since  the  days  of 
Tao  Kuang,  this  uproarious  guest  within  our 


78       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

borders  has  been  maltreating  his  hosts,  and  it  is 
time  that  all  shall  know  who  is  the  real  master 
of  the  house."  The  following  proclamation  was 
placarded  all  over  Peking: 


REWARDS 

"  Now  that  all  foreign  churches  and  chapels 
have  been  razed  to  the  ground,  and  that  no 
place  of  refuge  or  concealment  is  left  for  the 
foreigners,  they  must  unavoidably  scatter,  fly- 
ing in  every  direction.  Be  it  therefore  known 
and  announced  to  all  men,  scholars  and  volun- 
teers, that  any  person  found  guilty  of  harbour- 
ing foreigners  will  incur  the  penalty  of  decap- 
itation. For  every  male  foreigner  taken  alive, 
a  reward  of  50  taels  will  be  given;  for  every 
female,  40  taels,  and  for  every  child,  30  taels. 
But  it  is  to  be  clearly  understood  that  they 
shall  be  taken  alive,  an'd  that  they  shall  be  gen- 
uine foreigners.  Once  this  fact  has  been  duly 
authenticated,  the  reward  will  be  paid  without 
delay.  A  special  proclamation,  requiring  rev- 
erent obedience." 

"  His  Excellency,  *  Ching  Shan,'  tutor  to 
Prince  Tuan,  and  therefore  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  the  Boxer  leaders,  writes  in  his 
diary,  commenting  on  the  above :  *  Much  larger 
rewards  than  these  were  paid  in  the  tenth  year 
of  Hsian-Feng,  i860,  for  the  heads  of  barbar- 
ians, but,  of  course,  in  those  days  they  were 
comparatively  rare,  whereas  now,  alas!  they 
have  become  as  common  as  bees ! '  " 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       79 

I  never  knew  before  what  my  head  was  worth 
till  I  read  this  proclamation. 

Word  was  sent  the  missionaries  from  the  Chi- 
nese Foreign  Office  on  the  very  evening  they  ar- 
rived at  the  British  Legation,  expressing  their 
"  deep  feeling  for  the  foreigners,"  saying  the 
"  utmost  protection  would  be  afforded  them." 
Acting  upon  this  avowal.  Professor  James,  an 
English  missionary  in  China  since  1883,  went  out 
on  June  20th,  just  before  dark,  unarmed.  He 
had  been  with  the  native  Christians,  trying  to 
help  them  get  settled  comfortably,  and  it  is 
thought  he  may  have  gone  out  to  do  more  for 
them.  A  British  soldier  on  guard  saw  all  that 
followed;  Prof.  James  walked  as  far  as  the 
bridge,  and  there  a  few  Imperial  soldiers  rode 
up.  One  soldier  raised  his  gun  to  fire,  but  Prof. 
James  threw  up  his  hands  to  show  he  was  un- 
armed. The  soldier  lowered  his  gun,  and  dis- 
mounted, laid  his  hand  on  Prof.  James'  shoul- 
der just  as  he  had  started  to  run,  and  led  him 
away.  Our  foreign  soldiers  had  strict  orders 
not  to  fire  the  first  shot,  and  so  a  brave  man  must 
lose  his  life.  It  was  afterwards  learned  that 
these  Imperial  soldiers  took  him  wounded  to 
Prince  Chuang's  palace  (the  Boxer  general's), 
prodding  him  all  the  way  with  their  bayonets. 
Here  the  princes,  Chuang  and  Tuan,  ordered 
him  to  kneel,  but  he  refused,  saying :  "  I  am  an 
Englishman,  and   cannot  kneel  to   any  but  my 


80       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

God  and  King."  Then  he  was  forced  to  kneel 
upon  a  chain  for  several  hours.  Jung  Lu  tried 
to  save  his  life,  and  even  sent  soldiers  to  rescue 
him,  but  Tuan  and  Chuang  executed  him  at  6 
A.  M.,  June  23rd,  before  Jung  Lu's  men  arrived. 
His  head  was  exhibited  in  a  cage  hanging  from 
the  main  beam  of  the  "  Tung  An  "  gate.  "  The 
Old  Buddha,  says  Ching  Shan  in  his  diary,  "  has 
been  informed  of  his  death,  and  she  gave  orders 
that  Taels  500  be  distributed  to  the  soldiers  who 
had  captured  him.  That  is  a  reward  ten  times 
greater  than  that  which  was  promised  in  the 
proclamations." 

The  Chancellor  of  the  Japanese  Legation,  Mr. 
Sugiyama,  was  killed  by  Kan  Su  troops  on  June 
nth  at  the  Tung  Ying  gate.  Jung  Lu  urged 
the  Empress  to  issue  an  edict,  bestowing  post- 
humous honours  on  the  murdered  foreigner.  He 
advised  her  that  it  is  contrary  to  international 
law  to  attack  the  accredited  representatives  of 
foreign  powers.  On  July  3rd,  the  Empress  Dow- 
ager, in  the  name  of  the  Emperor,  and  through 
the  Chinese  Minister  at  Tokio,  addressed  the 
following  message  to   the  Emperor  of   Japan: 

"  To  your  Majesty,  Greeting:  " 

**  The  Empires  of  China  and  Japan  hang  to- 
gether even  as  the  lips  and  the  teeth,  and  the  re- 
lations existing  between  them  have  always  been 
sympathetic.     Last  month  we  were  plunged  in 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       81 

deep  grief  when  we  learned  of  the  murder  of 
the  Chancellor  of  your  Legation  in  Peking.  We 
were  about  to  arrest  and  punish  the  culprits 
when  the  Powers,  unnecessarily  suspicious  of 
our  motives,  seized  the  Taku  forts,  and  we  found 
ourselves  involved  in  all  the  horrors  of  war.  In 
face  of  the  existing  situation  it  appears  to  us 
that  at  the  present  time  the  continents  of  Europe 
and  Asia  are  opposed  to  each  other,  marshalling 
their  forces  for  a  conflict  of  irreconcilable  ambi- 
tions. Everything,  therefore,  depends  upon  our 
two  Asiatic  Empires  standing  firm  together  at 
this  juncture.  The  earth-hungry  Powers  of  the 
West  whose  tigerish  eyes  of  greed  are  fixed  in 
our  direction  will  certainly  not  confine  their  at- 
tention to  China.  In  the  event  of  our  Empire 
being  broken  up,  Japan,  in  her  turn,  will  as- 
suredly be  hard  pressed  to  maintain  her  inde- 
pendence. The  community  of  our  interests  ren- 
ders it  clearly  imperative  that  at  this  crisis  we 
should  disregard  all  triUing  causes  of  discord, 
and  consider  only  the  requirements  of  the  situa- 
tion, as  comrade  nations.  We  rely  upon  your 
Majesty  to  come  forward  as  arbitrator,  and  anx- 
iously await  your  gracious  reply  to  this  appeal." 

This  and  another  message  to  the  Emperor  of 
Russia,  appealing  to  him  to  come  forward  as 
arbitrator,  have  been  inscribed  in  the  annals  of 
the  Dynasty,  by  order  of  her  Majesty. 


82       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD*  CHINA 

The  Chinese  officials'  idea  of  heroism  in  a  sol- 
dier is  illustrated  in  the  following  memorial  from 
the  Censorate  at  Peking  to  the  Throne  at  Sianfu 
(where  the  Empress  and  Emperor  fled  when  the 
allied  forces  approached),  describing  the  arrest 
of  En  Hai,  the  murderer  of  the  German  minis- 
ter, Baron  Von  Kettler. 

"  A  spy  in  Japanese  employ,  engaged  in 
searching  for  looted  articles  in  the  pawnbroker 
shops  of  the  districts  in  Japanese  military  occu- 
pation, found  among  the  unredeemed  pledges  in 
one  shop  a  watch  bearing  Baron  von  Kettler's 
monogram.  The  pawnbroker  said  it  had  been 
pledged  by  En  Hai,  who  lived  at  a  carter's  inn  of 
the  Tartar  City.  The  spy  went  at  once,  and  in- 
formed the  Japanese,  who  promptly  sent  out  a 
picquet  to  the  inn  mentioned.  Two  or  three  men 
were  standing  about  in  the  court  yard,  and  the 
soldiers  asked  one  of  them  whether  En  Hai  was 
there.  "  I  am  the  man,"  said  he,  whereupon 
they  took  him  prisoner.  Under  examination, 
En  Hai  was  perfectly  calm  and  showed  no  sign 
of  emotion.  The  presiding  magistrate  inquired, 
'Was  it  you  who  slew  the  German  Minister?' 
He  replied :  '  I  received  orders  from  my  ser- 
geant to  kill  every  foreigner  that  came  up  the 
street.  I  am  a  soldier,  and  I  only  know 
it  is  my  duty  to  obey  orders.  On  that  day 
I  was  with  my  men,  some  thirty  of  them,  in  the 
street,  when  a  foreigner  came  along  in  a  sedan 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       83 

chair.  At  once  I  took  up  my  stand  a  little  to  the 
side  of  the  street,  and  taking  careful  aim,  fired 
into  the  chair.  Thereupon  the  bearers  fled.  We 
went  up  to  the  chair,  dragged  the  foreigner  out, 
and  saw  that  he  was  dead.  I  felt  a  watch  in  his 
breast  pocket,  and  took  it  as  my  lawful  share; 
my  comrades  appropriated  a  revolver,  some 
rings  and  other  articles.  I  never  thought  that 
this  watch  would  lead  to  my  detection.  But  I 
am  glad  to  die  for  having  killed  one  of  the  ene- 
mies of  my  country.  Please  behead  me  at  once." 
"  This  En  Hai  appears  to  have  been  an  honest 
fellow.  His  words  were  brave  and  dignified,  so 
that  the  bystanders  all  realized  that  China  is  not 
without  heroes  in  the  ranks  of  her  army.  On 
the  following  day,  he  was  handed  over  to  the 
Germans  and  beheaded  on  the  scene  of  his  ex- 
ploit." 

The  memorial  closes  with :  "  We  trust  that 
your  Majesties  may  be  pleased  to  confer  upon 
him  honors  as  in  the  case  of  one  who  has  fallen 
in  battle  with  his  face  to  the  foe." 

Ching  Shan  writes  in  his  diary :  "  Duke  Lan 
says  this  evening  that  by  the  orders  of  that  ras- 
cally Chinaman,  Yuan  Ch'ang,  the  corpse  of  the 
foreign  devil,  Baron  von  Kettler,  has  been  cof- 
fined. He,  Duke  Lan,  wanted  Prince  Tuan  to 
have  the  corpse  decapitated  and  the  head  ex- 
hibited over  the  Tung  An  gate.  Yuan  Ch'ang 
defends    his   action,    saying   that   he   knew   the 


84       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

German  Minister  personally  at  the  Tsung  Li 
Yamen,  and  he  cannot  bear  the  idea  of  leaving 
his  body  uncoffined." 

The  following  is  from  the  book,  "  China 
Under  the  Empress  Dowager." 

**  Concerning  the  Manchu  soldier  who  shot 
the  German  Minister  defenceless  in  his  chair, 
he  met  his  end  with  a  fine  courage.  But  with 
fuller  knowledge  and  a  clearer  insight,  the  schol- 
ars of  the  Empire  might  well  put  forward  claims 
to  real  heroism  and  moral  courage  of  the  rarest 
kind  in  the  case  of  Yuan  Ch'ang  and  Hsu 
Ching-Cheng,  who  nobly  laid  down  their  lives 
for  what  they  knew  to  be  their  country's  highest 
good.  So  long  as  China  can  breed  men  like 
these,  so  long  as  the  Confucian  system  contains 
moral  force  sufficient  to  produce  stoic  scholars 
of  this  type,  the  nation  has  no  cause  to  despair 
of  its  future." 

Yuan  Ch'ang  and  Hsu  Ch'ing  were  brave 
and  good,  and  like  Jung  Lu  and  Li  Shan, 
implored  the  Empress  Dowager  not  to  de- 
clare war  against  the  world,  saying  that 
China  could  not  possibly  escape  defeat  and 
disaster.  Yuan  Ch'ang  even  dared  to  say  he 
had  "  found  foreigners  to  be  generally  reason- 
able and  just  in  their  dealings,"  and  he  "  doubted 
the  authenticity  of  the  despatch — a  forged  mes- 
sage— demanding  the  Empress'  abdication,  and 
restoration   of   the   Emperor   to   power,    which 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       85 

Prince  Tuan  professed  to  have  received  from  the 
Diplomatic  Body."  Whereupon  Prince  Tuan 
arose  and  angrily  asked  the  Empress  whether 
she  "  proposed  to  listen  to  the  words  of  a  Chi- 
nese traitor?  "  Her  Majesty  rebuked  him  for  his 
loud  and  violent  manner  of  speaking,  but  or- 
dered Yuan  Ch'ang  to  leave  the  Audience  Hall. 
Yuan  and  Hsu  presented  three  successive  Memo- 
rials to  the  Throne,  denouncing  the  Boxers,  and 
urging  the  Empress  to  protect  the  foreign  lega- 
tions. These  two  brave  men  changed  the  word- 
ing of  the  Empress'  decree,  causing  it  to  read: 
''  Protect  all  foreigners,"  instead  of  "  Slay  all 
foreigners,"  as  she  had  ordered  it,  and  thereby 
saved  the  lives  of  all  the  Fu  Kien  missionaries 
and  hundreds  of  other  missionaries  and  other 
foreigners.  They  also  influenced  other  viceroys 
to  do  the  same  thing.  Chang  Chi  Tung  and  Liu 
K'un  Yi  were  the  most  powerful  of  the  South- 
ern viceroys,  and  virtually  controlled  the  whole 
Yang-tz  River  from  Sz-Chuen  down  to  Shang- 
hai, including  the  Provinces  of  Hupeh,  Anhui, 
Hunan  and  Honan.  They  personally  interviewed 
the  consuls  of  the  foreign  nations  at  Shanghai, 
and  made  an  agreement  with  them  that:  "If 
they — the  consuls — would  keep  their  gunboats 
out  of  the  Yang-z  River,  they — Liu  K'un  Yi  and 
Chang  Chi  Tung — would  keep  that  whole  region 
along  the  Yang-tz  quiet."  This  was  done. 
On  July  27th,  when  she  discovered  that  Yuan 


86       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

and  Hsu  had  changed  the  word  in  her  decree 
from  "  Slay  "  to  *'  Protect  all  foreigners,"  there- 
by saving  so  many  lives,  it  is  said  that  she  or- 
dered them  both  to  be  sawn  asunder.  Before 
suffering  this  awful  death,  Yuan  and  Hsu 
showed  great  calmness,  and  Yuan  said  he 
''  Hoped  that  the  sun  might  soon  return  to  its 
place  in  the  Heaven,  and  that  the  usurping  Comet 
might  be  destroyed."  When  Duke  Lan,  who 
superintended  this  tragedy,  bade  him  be  silent, 
he  said :  ''  I  die  innocent.  In  years  to  come,  my 
name  will  be  remembered  with  gratitude  and 
respect,  long  after  you  evil-plotting  princes  have 
met  your  well-deserved  doom.  Turning  to  Hsu, 
he  said :  "  We  shall  meet  anon  at  the  Yellow 
Springs — (spirit  world).  To  die  is  only  to  come 
home!" 


CHAPTER  XII 
BOXER  RIOTS  AT  WEI  HSIEN 

MUCH  has  been  written  about  the  siege  of 
Peking,  and  the  terrible  sufferings  of 
our  martyred  missionaries  at  Paoting- 
fu,  and  in  other  parts  of  China. 

The  following  gives  the  history  of  our  siege  at 
Wei  Hsien,  and  the  burning  of  our  beautiful  mis- 
sion. Just  after  Christmas  Rev.  Sidney  Brooks, 
a  young  English  missionary,  was  returning  to 
his  station  at  P'ing  Yin  from  T'ai  An  Fu  (where 
he  had  been  spending  the  holidays  with  his  sis- 
ter, Mrs.  Brown),  when  he  was  seized  by  a  band 
of  ruffians,  and,  after  much  torture  all  day,  was 
murdered,  on  December  30,  1899. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  the  Boxer  troubles 
in  Shantung.  The  missionaries  at  Wei  Hsien, 
however,  felt  we  had  never  had  any  riots,  and 
hoped  all  would  be  well,  as  we  had  such  a  liberal- 
minded,  good,  progressive  governor  of  Shan- 
tung in  Yuan  Shih  K'ai,  who  was  exerting  every 
influence  to  quiet  the  people  and  train  his  troops 
for  efficient  service.  But  the  ''  Big  Knife  So- 
ciety "  had  secret  meetings,  and  drilled  nightly, 

87 


88       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

and  it  was  discovered  later  that  they  had  regular 
organized  plans  for  carrying  on  their  desperate 
schemes  of  destruction.  At  Hwang-hsien,  it  was 
learned (  after  it  was  too  late  to  help  us),  that 
the  postmaster  had  opened  a  letter  which  he  sus- 
pected was  from  "  one  Boxer  to  another."  It 
read  as  follows :  "  Wei  Hsien  is  to  be  burned  on 
the  29th  of  the  moon.  Hope  to  send  you  more 
good  news  later."  (The  Chinese  date,  29th,  was 
the  very  date  of  our  riots,  that  is,  June  25th, 
1900.) 

Just  before  these  troubles  began,  although  the 
Chinese  felt  gloomy  about  the  future,  everything 
seemed  so  peaceful  and  lovely  in  our  little  com- 
pound, and  the  raspberries  were  beautifully  ripe 
and  plenty  in  the  gardens.  I  put  up  thirty  jars 
of  the  fruit  for  winter,  and  prepared  for  a  trip 
to  "  Tien  Yu  K'ou,"  where  I  had  arranged  to 
teach  a  Bible  class  for  women.  Mrs.  Couling 
and  her  little  son  Arthur  came  in  a  shenza  from 
Tsingchowfu  on  their  way  to  the  coast,  and  took 
lunch  with  me.  She  brought  the  news  that 
Tungchow  in  Chihli  Province  had  been  burned. 
I  told  her  I  hoped  our  folks  at  home  would  not 
worry  when  they  read  of  it  in  the  papers,  and 
she  said  :  ''  Oh,  no !  They  will  think  it  is  Chili 
in  South  America !  " 

The  next  day  I  was  off  to  the  country,  taking 
with  me  a  native  pastor's  wife,  Mrs.  Lwan.  We 
arrived  safely  at  T'ien  Yu  K'ou,  a  quiet  little 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       89 

mountain  village,  150  li  from  Wei  Hsien.  I  had 
a  splendid  class  of  fifty-four  women  there  for 
five  days,  when  a  shenza  arrived  for  me  to  go 
back  to  Wei  Hsien!  It  was  Sabbath  morning, 
and  my  teacher,  Wang,  called  all  the  Christians 
into  the  chapel,  and,  as  we  told  them  we  must 
leave,  many  wept,  and  after  a  short  service  the 
question  was  asked :  "  How  many  of  you  are 
willing  if  the  test  comes,  to  die  for  Christ?" 
One  woman  in  front  said :  "  To  die  or  live  is  not 
important.  I  am  willing  to  die  for  Christ."  As 
she  rose,  every  one  of  those  dear  good  women 
rose  with  her.  As  I  looked  upon  that  little  com- 
pany of  Jesus'  followers,  giving  this  beautiful 
testimony  of  their  love  to  Christ,  I  felt  sure  He 
looked  in  love  upon  them,  too,  and  the  angels 
rejoiced.  Those  who  do  not  believe  in  foreign 
missions,  and  would  not  give  the  Bread  of  Life 
to  such  simple,  earnest,  brave  souls  as  these,  are 
not  worthy  to  kiss  the  hem  of  their  garments. 
Oh,  the  blood  shed  by  our  noble,  true  Chris- 
tians in  China!  Oh,  the  sufferings  they  have 
borne  for  Christ!  All  honor  to  the  memory  of 
our  martyred  foreign  missionaries!  And  all 
honor  to  our  martyred  Chinese  Christians,  ''  who 
came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have  washed 
their  robes  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb!" 


90       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 


BURNING  OF  WEI  HSIEN  MISSION! 


ESCAPE  FROM  THE  BOXERS ! 

(Miss  Hawes'  letter  to  her  sister  in  Pittsburg.) 

Written  from  the  German  Mines  at  Fangz, 

China. 

**'June  26,  1900. 
''  My  dear  Sister, 

"  You  will  be  glad,  I  know,  when  I  tell  you 
I  am  alive!  Our  mission  at  Wei  Hsien  was 
mobbed  yesterday  and  buildings  all  burned,  and 
we  three  escaped  by  climbing  over  the  wall; 
Mr.  Frank  Chalfant,  Miss  Boughton  and  I, 
with  a  few  Chinese  Christians,  women  and  men, 
who  were  helpers  in  the  mission.  It  was  God's 
great  mercy  and  power  manifested  in  a  won- 
derful manner  that  delivered  us,  as  no  help  from 
any  man  came  to  us,  while  our  mission  was 
literally  surrounded  by  a  howling  mob  of  about 
five  hundred  people,  besides  at  least  as  many 
more  who  were  onlookers.  We  escaped  with 
only  our  clothing  which  we  had  on  us,  and  Mr. 
Chalfant  had  in  his  pocket  a  small  silver  shoe, 
and  some  silver  pieces  of  money  which  he  man- 
aged to  get  out  of  the  safe.  I  had  paper  notes 
in  my  pocket  equal  to  seventy-three  strings  of 
cash,  or  twenty-three  dollars  in  United  States 
money.  We  were  stripped  of  everything,  as  we 
could  not  carry  anything,  and  had  all  we  could 
do  to  escape.  I  will  tell  you  from  the  first  the 
facts. 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       91 

"June  27th. 

"  I  started  this  yesterday,  and  then  began  to 
tear  it  up,  thinking  perhaps  we  were  still  in 
danger,  and  could  not  send  it.  Oh,  the  horror 
of  a  Chinese  mob!  Dear  Ellie,  may  you  never 
see  one! 

"  You  know  I  was  in  a  village,  fifty  miles 
(150  li),  from  our  mission  station,  teaching  a 
class  of  women.  I  had  a  splendid  class  of  learn- 
ers. Fifty-three  came,  and  the  day  I  left  one 
more,  a  dear  old  lady,  who  walked  forty  li  to 
get  there,  and  exclaimed :  *  I  have  come  on  pur- 
pose to  study  the  gospel.  Now  I  must  go  back !  ' 
The  sorrow  of  the  Chinese  Christians  was  very 
touching  to  me  when  the  messenger  came  to  me 
with  a  note  from  Mr.  Fitch.  My  cook  handed  it 
to  me  with  tears  in  his  eyes.  It  said :  '  The 
trouble  is  so  acute  we  are  ordered  to  go  at  once 
to  the  coast.  I  will  take  the  women  and  chil- 
dren to-morrow,  going  to  Yang-Kia-Ko,  where 
a  ship  is  waiting.  Mr.  Chalfant  will  wait  for 
you  and  Miss  Boughton.' 

"  Well,  I  got  ready,  and  we  had  final  services 
with  the  women,  and  I  told  them  it  was  not  my 
will  to  leave  them,  but  God's  will.  I  must  go, 
and  they  must  be  faithful  to  Jesus,  and  be  will- 
ing to  die  for  Him  if  necessary,  and  not  deny 
Him,  for  He  would  'confess  them  before  His 
Father  in  heaven,'  if  they  would  *  confess  His 
name  before  men.'  One  woman  said :  '  We  are 
not  afraid  to  die  for  Christ.'  And  they  all  rose 
at  once  when  my  teacher  asked  them  if  they 
would  be  true  to  Christ,  and  to  stand  up  and 
show  their  willingness  to  die  for  Him  if  neces- 
sary. They  cried  so  when  I  left  them.  We  left 
Sabbath  morning,  and  traveled  steadily  till  sun- 


92      NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

set,  when  it  was  necessary  to  stop  to  feed  and 
rest  the  animals.  I  was  put  into  a  very  tiny 
room,  where  I  could  not  get  a  free  breath,  but 
was  so  sick  at  my  stomach  from  the  bad  mules' 
uneven  paces  that  I  had  to  lie  down  a  while.- 
When  I  felt  better  I  went  outside  and  walked  in 
the  street,  where  the  people  quickly  gathered  to 
see  the  '  foreign  devil.'  One  man  said :  '  Kill 
her,'  but  was  quiet.  One  dear  young  Christian 
girl  was  there,  the  only  believer  in  the  whole 
village,  who  had  been  in  two  of  my  former 
classes,  and  she  stayed  with  me,  which  was  such 
a  comfort.  The  fresh  air  felt  good  and  my 
cook  prepared  me  some  food,  which  I  ate  and 
then  packed  up  to  start.  Just  then  a  message 
came  from  Mr.  Chalfant :  *  Travel  by  night 
and  come  quickly.'  We  went  right  along  till 
we  reached  Wei  Hsien  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  Miss  Boughton  (who  had  just  come 
in  from  the  country  before  me)  came  out  to 
meet  me,  and  seemed  so  glad  to  see  me.  We 
went  to  her  room  and  lay  down  awhile,  and 
then  got  up  and  began  packing.  She  had  al- 
ready packed  my  books  and  dishes  for  me,  and 
the  canned  goods.  We  worked  hard  all  day 
Monday  packing,  and  had  the  boxes  all  carried 
over  to  Mr.  Chalfant's  yard,  and  it  made  a  great 
booty  for  the  mobbers  when  they  came. 

"  I  think  now  it  was  God's  plan  to  have  us 
do  that,  for  they  were  on  one  side  of  the  house, 
so  greedy  to  seize  the  prey,  and  it  gave  us  time 
to  escape  from  the  other  side  of  the  house.  But 
we  didn't  have  the  mob  when  we  put  those 
boxes  there.  We  put  them  all  in  one  yard  to  be 
ready  for  packing  quickly  on  the  carts.  We 
intended  shipping  our  clothing  and  books,  and 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       93 

best  things,   to   Tsing  Tau,   and    burying    our 
dishes  and  canned  goods. 

"  Everything  was  quiet,  and  our  home  mail 
came,  and  we  three  sat  down  and  rejoiced  over 
the  news  from  you  that  $1,500  had  been  raised 
for  the  '  Shady-Side  Home,'  and  over  Doctor 
Chalfant's  letter,  saying  half  the  money  had 
been  raised  for  the  chapel  here.  I  said :  *  It 
seems  ridiculous  for  us  to  tear  up  and  leave 
this  way.'  We  felt  very  comfortable,  but  sud- 
denly the  trouble  came.  Miss  Boughton  and  I 
walked  together  to  Dr.  Faries'  house,  and 
thought  of  having  their  man  carry  their  best 
things  in  boxes  (these  the  Faries  had  already 
packed  before  they  left),  up  to  the  Chalf ants' 
yard,  to  be  ready  for  the  carts  with  our  boxes. 
As  we  walked  down  the  street,  we  were  annoyed 
to  find  such  a  collection  of  insolent,  noisy  chil- 
dren (very  few  men  among  them).  We  said: 
*  How  strange  the  gate-keeper  should  let  this 
crowd  in  here ! '  But  such  a  horrible  feeling 
came  over  us  when  we  got  through  with  the 
Faries'  boxes  and  came  back.  For  the  street 
had  men  in  it  then,  and  our  helpers  were  trying 
to  drive  them  out,  saying  the  men  had  been 
stealing  pickles  from  the  schools.  Providen- 
tially, both  girls  and  boys  had  gone  to  their 
homes  in  the  country,  as  schools  were  disbanded 
for  the  summer.  When  we  got  into  our  house 
it  was  not  three  minutes  until  some  Bible- 
women  came  to  us  so  frightened,  saying  there 
was  a  '  mob  breaking  down  the  wall ! '  Then 
came  Mr.  Chalfant,  who  had  seen  them  do  it, 
and  he  carried  a  big  club  in  his  hand,  looking 
very  grave,  and  said :  '  We  must  leave  at  mid- 
night, if  possible.     It  is  our  only  hope.    Perhaps 


94       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

we  will  be  mobbed  before  that  time.'  Then  he 
told  us  to  go  over  and  stay  in  his  house.  So 
we  did,  and  the  Christian  women  about  the  place 
went  with  us,  five  in  all.  Mr.  Chalfant  got  his 
pistol  and  went  out  and  faced  the  mob  outside 
the  big  gate  at  the  north  end  of  the  compound. 
For  two  hours  and  a  half  that  brave,  good  man 
held  five  hundred  fiends  at  bay.  He  had  already 
sent  for  the  Chinese  soldiers  and  hoped  they 
would  come  to  his  relief.  Only  one  came,  flour- 
ished his  gun  a  little,  and  then  rode  away,  say- 
ing nothing.  I  will  say  here,  the  officials  and 
soldiers  and  mobbers  joined  in  carrying  off  our 
mission  safe  and  other  things,  which  proves  the 
Chinese  soldiers  are  not  our  friends.  The  safe 
has  no  money  in  it,  but  valuable  accounts  of  our 
treasury  and  mission  affairs. 

''  Mr.  Chalfant  withstood  them  bravely,  shoot- 
ing in  the  air,  and  telling  them  to  keep  back. 
They  had  no  guns  or  weapons  but  bricks,  which 
they  hurled  at  him,  hitting  him  all  over.  But  he 
dodged  his  head  so  he  was  not  killed.  It  is  all 
so  awful,  but  God  spared  his  life.  He  was 
jeered  at  by  the  men,  who  said:  'Go  inside 
your  own  little  inch  and  stay  with  your  mother 
and  father.'  One  said,  finally :  '  The  Big  Knife 
Society  doesn't  fear  guns!  They  are  invulner- 
able.' And  Mr.  Chalfant,  amidst  a  shower  of 
flying  bricks,  got  through  the  opening  in  the 
big  gate,  which  was  quickly  closed  and  barred. 
They  were  so  devilish  in  their  excitement  that 
they  ran  around  to  a  barred  up  gate  at  the  south 
end  of  the  Mission  and  burst  that  gate  in.  And 
Mr.  Chalfant,  seeing  them  go  off  to  that  end, 
came  back  to  us,  and  we  were  glad  to  see  him, 
for    we    believed    he    would    be    killed.      Miss 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       95 

Boughton  and  I  prayed  together  with  the  Chris- 
tians for  God  to  spare  his  life,  and  it  was  an- 
swered. 

"  Mr.  Chalfant  came  in  looking  so  pale  and 
wan  and  faint.  I  said,  '  Thank  God,  you  were 
not  killed ! '  He  said :  '  I  am  very  thirsty.' 
Some  fresh  water  had  just  been  drawn  and  we 
gave  him  a  glass,  and  we  fed  him  to  give  him 
new  strength.  My  cook  had  just  brought  over 
peas  and  corn  and  bread,  which  Miss  Boughton 
and  I  ate  with  Mr.  Chalfant  to  give  us  strength. 
You  may  be  sure  we  were  not  hungry  under 
such  circumstances.  Just  then  the  mob  burst 
in  the  Chalfant  gate,  and  we  three  went  up- 
stairs together  and  prayed  for  God  to  '  spare 
our  lives  for  the  sake  of  those  we  love,  and  to 
"  let  the  cup  pass  "  from  us  if  it  be  His  holy 
will;  but,  if  not,  then  let  us  die  quickly  and 
give  us  His  grace.' 

'*  Then  we  saw  flames  outside  the  window, 
and  it  was  from  the  chapel,  the  next  house  but 
one  to  Chalfant's!  We  heard  the  mob  smash- 
ing in  the  windows  of  the  Chalfant  house  where 
we  were.  We  knew  then  our  only  hope  was  to 
get  out,  and  so  we  passed  through  the  sitting- 
room  window  to  the  porch  (the  mob  in  the  din- 
ing-room separated  from  us  only  by  closed  fold- 
ing doors).  Mr.  Chalfant's  faithful  servant 
man  took  a  ladder  lying  on  the  porch,  and  set 
it  against  the  wall,  and  we  climbed  over,  Mr. 
Chalfant  going  first  and  holding  up  his  arms  to 
help  each  of  us  over.  The  Chinese  women  were 
like  beasts  crazed  by  fire.  But  we  pushed  them 
and  made  them  go,  or  we  never  would  have 
gotten  over.  Bricks  were  hurled  at  us,  and  a 
few  of  the  mob  in  the  next  yard  cried:     *  The 


96       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

foreign  devils  are  getting  away !  Kill  them ! ' 
But,  oh,  the  blessed  power  of  God!  Not  one 
man  followed  us! 

*'  We  joined  hands  and  walked — not  ran — > 
right  across  the  cornfields,  praising  God  for  His 
deliverance.  Four  trusty,  faithful  men  stuck  to 
us,  helping  us  along,  taking  our  arms.  The 
Chinese  women  and  men  (except  the  teacher, 
Mr.  Chu)  were  all  saved,  got  to  their  homes,  but 
did  not  go  with  us.  We  passed  several  crowds 
of  men  on  the  way,  but  nearly  all  were  friendly, 
and  one  man  said :  '  It  was  good  when  they 
lived  among  us.'  But  another  crowd  laughed 
at  us  and  said :  '  Why  don't  you  go  home  ? 
Go  on  home ! '  We  were  not  hurt,  however, 
though  we  had  to  run  once  from  a  village,  as 
we  saw  men  coming  from  it  to  attack  us.  We 
dodged  around  by  another  way  quickly,  and 
stopped  talking,  and  quietly  took  to  the  corn- 
fields, avoiding  the  villages,  and  lying  once  in 
among  the  corn  till  all  seemed  quiet  and  it  was 
dark. 

*'  Then  we  travelled  right  along  for  nine  miles 
from  Wei  Hsien,  and  we  reached  this  place 
(Fangz)  at  half-past  eleven.  Oh,  how  thankful 
we  were.  One  of  our  men  gave  out  and  had  to 
be  supported  by  two  others.  The  earth  had 
filled  in  my  low  shoes,  so  I  was  a  dirty  sight 
when  I  got  here  I  can  tell  you.  No  hat,  only 
my  white  shirtwaist "  and  blue  calico  skirt.  No 
wraps.  Miss  Boughton  had  on  an  old  wash- 
dress  which  she  intended  leaving,  and  we  both 
had  our  clean  clothes  and  travelling  things  all 
laid  out  to  put  on  when  through  packing.  But, 
you  see,  we  had  no  time  for  change,  the  mob 
came    so    suddenly.     Well,   these  Germans  re- 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       97 

ceived  us  so  cordially  and  gave  us  a  hearty  wel- 
come. God  raised  up  these  good  friends  for 
us.  They  gave  us  a  good  supper  at  twenty  min- 
utes past  twelve  (midnight).  One  said:  'See, 
it  is  twelve  o'clock,  dinner-time.  Let  us  eat ! ' 
We  were  fearfully  tired,  but  we  were  so  thank- 
ful. The  place  here  is  strongly  guarded.  Mr. 
Chalfant  told  them  they  might  expect  an  attack, 
as  he  heard  the  mobbers  say  they  would  come 
here  the  next  night.  So  the  Germans  here  at 
once  united  forces,  sending  to  a  mine  not  far 
from  here  for  the  men  and  guns,  ammunition, 
etc.,  to  come  here,  and  now  we  have  a  strong 
force. 

''  Telegrams  were  sent  to  Dr.  Corbett  for  the 
Board  in  New  York  as  soon  as  the  wires  were 
repaired  which  the  Chinese  had  cut  down,  and 
to  Tsing-tau  for  soldiers,  and  to  tell  Mrs.  Chal- 
fant, who  is  there,  and  other  missionaries,  so 
they  would  not  try  to  reach  Tsing-tau  by  way 
of  our  mission  at  Wei  Hsien.  The  fifteen  Ger- 
mans here  are  splendid,  brave  men,  and,  you 
know,  have  military  training,  as  all  do  in  Ger- 
many, and  they  have  '  big  guns,'  as  the  Chinese 
say,  and  so  last  night  they  sent  word  to  all  sur- 
rounding villages,  that  if  any  man  came  within 
one  hundred  yards  of  this  place  he  would  get 
shot.  Early  in  the  evening,  while  we  were  at 
supper,  the  mob  began  collecting,  a  distance  off, 
and,  I  am  ashamed  to  say,  I  grew  almost  sick 
with  fright  to  see  another  mob.  What  scared 
me  most  was  the  sight  of  a  large  body  of  Chi- 
nese soldiers,  sent  by  the  Chinese  General,  who 
had  come  out  and  apologized  for  the  burning  of 
our  beautiful  Wei  Hsien  mission,  saying  it  was 
not  his  fault,  etc.    But  the  Chinese  all  tell  us  the 


98       NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

soldiers  and  their  generals  are  hypocrites  and 
would  kill  us  if  they  could,  but  are  afraid  of  the 
Germans'  '  big  guns.'  I  believe  the  silly  Chinese 
soldiers  were  shaking  in  their  knees  all  night  as 
they  pretended  to  guard  along  with  the  Ger- 
mans outside  the  walls,  which,  by  the  way,  are 
low  ones  and  covered  with  a  thick  fringe  of 
broken  beer  bottles  stuck  in  the  top.  The  boy 
waiting  on  us  at  supper  looked  out  of  the  win- 
dow and  said,  in  a  scared  sort  of  way :  *  So  viel 
man! '  The  Germans  were  not  afraid,  but  said, 
quietly :  '  We  have  no  fear,  and  we  have  no 
hope.  China  is  not  America,  nor  yet  Germany.' 
They  watched  all  night,  and  were  prepared  with 
guns  and  dynamite  for  any  attack.  I  supposed 
there  would  be  a  lot  of  firing  all  night,  but  was 
so  tired  I  fell  asleep.  This  morning  I  asked 
one  of  the  Germans  if  they  had  killed  anybody, 
and  he  said,  '  Yes,  one — a  mosquito.'  Then 
they  said  that  none  came  to  attack.  The  crowd 
that  we  saw  had  all  scattered.  When  Miss 
Boughton  and  I  went  out  to  breakfast,  Mr. 
Chalfant  said :  '  Good  news !  Twenty  cavalry- 
men are  coming  from  Tsing-tau  to  escort  us ! ' 
(Note:  Rescue  party  beaten  back  to  Kiao- 
chou.)  So  we  are  going  to  be  taken  to  Tsing- 
tau,  and  I  cannot  tell  you  now  what  we  will  do 
after  that.  I  only  know  we  are  all  saved  and 
are  well  and  happy,  and  are  very,  very  thankful 
to  our  good  God,  who  was  a  *  very  present  help 
in  time  of  trouble,'  and  we  will  do  as  we  are 
ordered  to  do.  We  want  to  do  His  will,  not 
ours,  and  we  hope  this  fierce  persecution  will 
purify  the  church  of  Christ  and  be  the  begin- 
ning of  a  greater  and  better  work  than  we  ever 
dreamed  of  in  China.    We  pray  that  our  beauti- 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA       99 

ful  Wei  Hsien  Mission  will  be  rebuilt,  and  that 
we  will  be  more  faithful  in  His  service. 

"  I  cannot  help  mourning  the  loss  of  all  my 
beautiful  books  and  pictures,  the  photographs 
of  you  all,  and  especially  our  mother's  picture, 
and  my  sweet  little  piano,  which  was  such  a  com- 
fort to  me,  and  all  the  gifts  of  love  from  my 
good  friends, — my  beautiful  silk  quilt  from 
Shady-Side  Church,  And  so  many  things  the 
dear,  good  missionaries  here  have  lost,  too !  But 
it  is  all  God's  will,  and  we  say :  '  His  will  be 
done.  He  has  delivered  us,  and  He  will  care 
for  us.' 

"  Lovingly, 
''  Lottie." 
(Charlotte  E.  Hawes.) 

Letter  by  Rev.  Frank  H.  Chalfant,  D.D. 

Written  to  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign 

Missions 

"July  3,  1900. 

"  The  Wei  Hsien  compound  was  burned  and 
looted  at  eight  P.  M.  on  Monday,  June  25th.  I, 
and  those  with  me,  did  all  in  our  power  to  save 
the  premises,  but  God  did  not  will  that  our  ef- 
forts should  be  successful.  Here  is  the  story. 
Call  it  drama  or  tragedy,  as  you  will. 

"  At  ten  o'clock  on  Friday,  June  22nd,  a  spe- 
cial messenger  came  from  Rev.  George  Corn- 
well,  of  Cheffo,  who  was  in  charge  of  a  ship 
sent  by  our  efficient  consul,  Hon.  John  Fowler, 
to  the  junk  port  of  Yang-Kia-Ko,  fifty  miles 
northwest  of  Wei  Hsien.  This  message  urged 
the  immediate  coming  of  our  people  to  the 
steamer.  We  decided  the  first  party  should  go 
there,  and  they  started   Saturday,  at  9  A.   M. 


100     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

Meanwhile,  we  had  despatched  special  couriers 
to  recall  the  Misses  Boughton  and  Hawes,  who 
were  many  miles  away  in  the  interior,  and  I  re- 
mained alone  to  escort  these  ladies,  and  to  at- 
tend to  the  thousand  and  one  things  likely  to 
arise.  On  Saturday  Miss  Boughton  arrived, 
and  on  Sunday  we  had  the  usual  Chinese  ser- 
vices, fated  to  be  our  last  at  Wei  Hsien  for 
many  a  day. 

*'  At  daylight  Monday,  Miss  Hawes  came, 
having  travelled  all  night.  We  three  then 
worked  hard  to  pack  the  most  valuable  small 
belongings  and  to  provide  for  the  various  de- 
partments of  our  large  Mission  plant.  The 
schools  had  already  been  dismissed.  A  thing 
most  providential. 

"  At  4  P.  M.  one  of  our  native  pastors,  Li 
Ping  I,  came  with  a  cart  to  take  away  some 
goods  of  his  own  and  others.  While  loading 
the  cart  an  unruly  crowd  pushed  in  at  our  gate. 
The  gateman  sent  for  me,  saying  he  could  not 
restrain  them.  I  took  a  cane,  went  out,  drove 
them  away,  and  held  the  gateway  till  Mr.  Li's 
cart  went  out.  At  once  they  attacked  the  cart, 
and  in  a  moment  stole  everything  in  it.  I  could 
do  nothing  outside,  and  so  shut  the  large  gate 
against  the  mob's  return.  Meanwhile,  seeing 
the  sudden  turn  in  affairs,  I  had  despatched  a 
letter  to  the  yamen,  asking  for  a  few  soldiers  to 
protect  the  place.  Returning  to  our  houses,  I 
advised  the  ladies  to  go  to  my  house  as  the  most 
secure,  and  wait  for  me.  I  ran  back  to  find  the 
dispensary  windows  smashed,  and  a  howling 
mob  on  the  higher  ground  to  the  northwest, 
storming  the  place  with  bricks  and  tiles.  I  ran 
back,  took  from  the  safe  taels  ten  of  sycee  and 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     101 

$7  in  Mexicans,  as  provision  against  flight, 
locked  up  the  safe,  and  returned  to  try  to  keep 
back  the  mob  till  help  should  come  from  the 
yamen.  The  lives  of  many  depended  upon  keep- 
ing back  the  mob.  I  ran  forward  amid  a  shower 
of  bricks  and  tiles  and,  at  twenty  paces,  warned 
them  back.  They  jeered  at  me.  A  brick  hit  my 
foot,  slightly  injuring,  but  not  disabling  the  de- 
fending garrison.  The  mob  fell  back,  and  just 
then  a  cavalryman  appeared,  brandishing  his 
gun.  He  rode  around  the  compound  and  dis- 
appeared. I  afterward  learned  that  he  had  not 
been  sent  out  to  help,  but  was  casually  returning 
from  other  business.  It  was  now  7  P.  M.,  and 
being  at  time  of  longest  day,  the  sun  was  still 
high.  My  hope  and  prayer  then  was  to  keep 
back  the  mob  until  sunset,  so  that  we  could 
escape  under  cover  of  darkness.  I  took  up  my 
position  at  the  corner  of  the  compound  outside. 
They  stood  still  and  soon  said :  '  Let's  scatter.' 
They  were  undecided  what  to  do,  and  at  this 
point  the  presence  of  one  soldier  from  the 
yamen  would  have  averted  the  calamity.  No 
human  help  came.  I  stood  my  ground  quietly 
and  waited.  They  said :  '  Move  forward.'  A 
few  started  toward  me,  but  they  slunk  back.  At 
7.45  they  made  an  onset.  Some  had  crept  along 
the  bank  of  the  stream  near  our  place  and 
emerged  behind  me.  I  saw  my  disadvantage, 
and  warned  them  to  halt.  They  came  on  yelling 
and  throwing  stones.  I  ran  for  the  gate  amid 
fusillade  of  missiles.  There  was  no  question 
but  that  they  intended  to  kill  me.  I  got  in 
safely  and  slammed  and  barred  the  gate.  _  Ran 
up  the  street  to  find  the  mob  had  broken  in  our 
unused  gate  at  the  south,  and  were  swarming 


102    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

up  the  street.  We  barricaded  the  doors  and 
windows  with  furniture,  and  closed  my  large 
sliding  doors  between  dining-room  and  sitting- 
room,  and  went  upstairs.  Servants  and  several 
Chinese  women  were  with  us.  It  was  now  8 
o'clock,  the  exact  hour  we  had  previously  set 
for  a  community  prayer-meeting  for  the  safety 
of  our  Christians.  We  had  a  few  short  earnest 
prayers.  Then  the  cry  was  raised  by  the  Chi- 
nese women — '  The  chapel  is  on  fire ! '  I  knew 
the  time  had  come  to  run. 

"  Going  downstairs,  we  found  my  front  yard 
free  from  the  mob,  but  could  hear  the  crash  of 
windows  in  the  rear  of  the  house.  Here  a  most 
remarkable  thing  came  to  light  which  saved  our 
lives.  I  had  had  a  short  ladder  carried  to  my 
front  porch  to  inspect  the  roof  of  the  house, 
which  had  been  leaking.  Hastily  placing  this 
ladder  on  the  wall  we  climbed  over  and  all  got 
out.  Everywhere  else  the  rioters  were  doing 
their  nefarious  work  except  in  my  front  yard. 
The  chapel.  Miss  Boughton's  house,  and  other 
buildings  were  burning  fiercely,  and  the  mob 
was  busy  piling  fuel  on  the  front  porch  of  the 
Ladies'  Home  just  next  to  my  house.  Only 
two  men  saw  us,  and  crying,  *  The  foreign 
devils  are  escaping,  kill,'  threw  a  brick  which 
passed  over  our  heads.  No  rioters  were  outside 
the  wall  at  that  point,  though  many  were  not 
far  distant,  who  might  have  followed  us.  We 
quietly  walked  through  fields  to  Li-Kia-Twang, 
a  friendly  village,  and  thence  turned  south.  It 
was  growing  dark.  Three  Chinese  servants 
were  with  us  besides  two  non-Christian  men, 
who  often  act  as  barrow-men  for  us,  and,  at 
this  crisis,  proved  loyal  to  us.     The  Christian 


Reverend  F.  H.  Chalfant,  D.D.,  Hero  of  June  25TH,  1900 
Wei  Hsien,  China 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     103 

women  took  refuge  in  Li-kia-twang.  Miss 
Boughton,  Miss  Hawes,  myself,  and  the  few 
men  walked  on.  Miss  Boughton  had  a  hammer, 
which  was  our  only  weapon  left.  I  ought  to 
say  that  during  the  two  hours,  while  withstand- 
ing the  mob,  I  had  not  the  least  fear.  This  was 
doubtless  due  to  the  incessant  prayer  for  me  by 
our  young  ladies  and  Christians.  Their  part 
was  most  noble,  for  it  was  easier  to  be  out  fac- 
ing the  mob  than  inside  under  suspense.  They 
did  not  know  but  that  I  had  been  killed.  Leav- 
ing the  road,  we  took  to  the  fields,  and  directed 
our  way  to  the  German  mines,  nine  English 
miles  away.  Oh,  the  relief  we  enjoyed!  The 
God-sent  darkness,  the  companionship  of  faith- 
ful Chinese  friends.  With  the  burning  build- 
ings behind  us,  and  the  stars  above,  we  easily 
kept  our  direction.  We  avoided  all  villages, 
and  dropped  on  the  ground  at  sound  of  foot- 
steps, not  from  fear  but  from  strategy.  We 
did  not  want  the  people  to  know  where  we  had 
gone.  At  midnight  we  arrived  at  the  mines, 
and  were  cordially  welcomed  by  Mr.  Braune- 
miller  and  his  stalwart  colleagues.  They  hap- 
pened to  be  up  and  at  once  prepared  us  a  meal. 
We  saved  from  our  ruined  homes  a  cheap  suit 
of  clothing  on  our  backs,  the  little  silver  I  pro- 
cured for  emergencies,  the  value  of  $23  (in 
gold),  in  bank-notes,  which  Miss  Hawes  hap- 
pened to  have  in  her  pocket,  and  one  hammer! 
These  are  now  the  worldly  possessions  of  us 
three,  but  we  do  not  care  a  cent ! 

''  All  the  houses,  dispensary,  chapel,  Chinese 
rooms,  both  schools,  are  burned.  The  hospital 
wards  and  gate-house  still  stand.  Outside  wall 
is   intact   save   top  coping.    These  are   not  cut 


104     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

down.  Movables  have  been  carried  off  or 
burned.  (It  was  market-day,  and  our  chairs 
and  other  goods  were  placed  on  the  street  for 
sale.)  The  worst  is,  two  of  our  Christians  are 
said  to  have  been  killed.  One  an  old  man,  Mr. 
Liu,  who  is  in  the  habit  of  making  our  com- 
pound a  place  of  sojourn — a  good  old  man. 
The  other  is  one  of  my  best  school  teachers, 
Mr.  Chu  Tung  Kwang,  who  was  passing 
through  en  route  to  his  school.  (Later,  Mr.  Liu 
was  badly  wounded  while  nobly  standing  by 
Dr.  Chalfant  as  he  was  facing  the  mob,  and, 
after  exhorting  them  in  vain,  he  knelt  in  prayer, 
pleading  for  God  to  '  use  His  power,  as  he  had 
failed ! '  This  good  old  man  recovered  from 
his  wounds.) 

"  I  must  not  neglect  to  express  the  hearty 
welcome  and  assistance  given  us  by  this  com- 
munity of  German  engineers.  When  in  Feb- 
ruary last  we  sheltered  five  German  railway  en- 
gineers, who  were  driven  away  from  their  sta- 
tion by  a  mob,  and  fled  empty-handed  to  our 
mission,  we  little  supposed  that  the  tables  would 
be  turned  so  early.  These  men  all  know  of  that 
little  episode,  which  makes  our  missionaries  all 
the  more  welcome. 

"  On  July  3rd,  under  Chinese  escort,  our 
party  arrived  at  Tsingtau. 

"F.  H.  Chalfant." 

The  Board  writes  thus: 

"  No  words  of  comment  need  be  added  to  this 
simple  recital  of  heroic  endeavour.  Each  mail 
brings  added  evidence  of  the  grit  and  grace  of 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     105 

the  missionary  and  the  loyalty  and  love  of  the 
native  Christians  in  China. 

In  the  good  providence  of  God,  it  may  be  that 
only  a  few  of  our  missionaries  will  win  the  mar- 
tyr's crown,  but  already  thousands  of  the  native 
Christians  have  evinced  the  depth  of  their  con- 
victions and  the  strength  of  their  faith  by  the 
willing  sacrifice  of  their  lives  for  the  cause  of 
their  Lord  and  Saviour.  Thus  far  all  letters 
from  China  refer  to  heroic  fidelity  of  the  Chi- 
nese Christians  under  a  persecution  as  severe  as 
that  of  the  early  disciples  in  the  gardens  and 
arenas  of  Nero." 

Dr.  Hunter  Corbett  (Chefoo)  writes:  "I 
found  suffering  every  place.  Many  trying  to 
live  on  corncobs,  the  dried  vine  of  the  sweet  po- 
tato, bark,  and  leaves  of  trees,  roots,  etc.  I 
found  the  Christians  hopeful.  They  feel  that 
God  has  not  forsaken  them,  but  has  heard  and 
answered  prayer.  Wonderful  grace  has  been 
given  to  our  persecuted  people.  They  have  stood 
firm  and  are  not  giving  up  the  Christian  life." 

My  good,  faithful  cook  who  prepared  for  us 
the  last  food  we  ate  at  Wei  Hsien  (which  re- 
newed our  strength  for  that  long  tramp  of  nine 
miles  to  Fangz),  faithful  and  true  to  us  when  he 
might  easily  have  escaped,  was  beaten  almost  to 
death  by  the  mob.  They  tore  his  clothes  all  off 
him,  and  beat  him  with  a  club  having  nails  in  it. 
For  hours  he  lay  on  the  roadside  unconscious, 


106     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

but  kind  hands  helped  him  home.  Today  he 
bears  still  in  his  body  the  "  marks  of  the  Lord 
Jesus." 

Dr.  Charles  Lewis  wrote  that  his  cook, 
after  much  suffering,  won  a  martyr's  crown. 
Refusing  to  deny  his  Lord,  he  was  beheaded, 
and  his  head  suspended  from  a  tree.  This  good 
man  had  brought  to  Christ  eleven  families,  con- 
sisting of  fifty-three  persons  in  his  village ;  these 
were  burnt  out  of  house  and  home,  but  the  "  fire 
did  not  burn  out  their  faith  in  Christ." 

BRIGHT   SPOTS 

One  beautiful  spark  of  good  shone  out  that 
dark  day  from  those  wicked  hearts.  Our  good 
old  Siu  ta  Sao,  who  had  helped  many  poor  sick 
heathen,  as  well  as  Christian  women,  in  the  hos- 
pital; who  had  patiently  washed  their  boils  and 
sores  and  taught  them  about  Jesus,  while  pass- 
ing out  of  the  gate,  was  attacked.  But  suddenly 
a  voice  rang  out  from  that  mob :  "  Let  her 
alone!  That  is  Siu  ta  Sao!  "  Her  little  bundle 
of  clothing  was  restored  to  her,  and  she  was  al- 
lowed to  pass  out  unharmed. 

God's  protecting  hand  was  very  clear  that  day. 
He  did  not  send  the  soldiers  as  we  prayed  Him 
to  do,  because  He  knew  best.  They  would  doubt- 
less have  murdered  us,  had  they  come.  They 
joined  the  mob  when  they  did  come,  and  looted 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     107 

the  first  house  they  entered,  which  was  Dr. 
Faries'  house. 

Not  five  minutes  after  we  escaped  from  the 
Chalfant  house,  it  was  in  flames.  Many  sup- 
posed we  were  burned  to  death,  and  mourned 
for  us,  especially  the  Christians,  who  had  not 
heard  of  our  escape.  It  was  not  the  intention 
of  the  mob  to  let  us  escape. 

The  ladder  was  at  hand  just  when  we  needed 
it  to  get  over  that  high  wall. 

The  glorious  array  of  boxes  collected  in  the 
back  yard,  which  we  had  been  packing  to  ship 
off,  bewitched  the  mob,  so  that  they  fell  on 
the  booty,  fighting  over  it,  and  yelling,  and  were 
so  busy  carrying  it  off  they  forgot  us,  so  we 
escaped  through  the  yard  on  the  other  side  of 
the  house — the  only  spot  in  the  whole  compound 
free  of  the  mob! 

God  led  us  safely  out  unharmed. 

Just  over  the  wall  stood  a  native  pastor,  whose 
sister  was  among  the  women  we  helped  over  the 
wall.  He  thanked  us  and  escorted  the  women 
all  safe  home. 

Our  four  trusty  native  friends  risked  their 
lives  by  going  with  foreigners  then,  but  never- 
theless they  voluntarily  went  with  us,  leading 
us  through  the  darkness  to  the  German  mines, 
and  were  a  great  comfort. 

"  Pray  that  your  flight  be  not  in  the  winter." 
Our   Lord's   words   came   to   us   then,   and   we 


108     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

thanked  Him  that  it  was  pleasant  weather,  so 
we  did  not  suffer  from  cold. 

Our  flight  occurred  between  harvests,  when 
no  one  was  watching  in  the  fields.  We  read  in 
Isaiah  i  :8,  "  a  lodge  in  a  garden  of  cucumbers." 
The  Chinese,  like  other  Orientals,  also  make 
"  lodges "  of  mats  and  poles,  and  with  dogs 
and  guns  keep  watch  over  the  crops  when  har- 
vest is  nigh.  But  our  flight  occurred  when  the 
wheat  harvest  was  just  over,  and  it  was  not  yet 
time  for  the  millet  crop.  So  the  fields  were 
clear  before  us. 

The  man,  named  Han,  who  took  the  lead,  had 
often  wheeled  my  barrow  for  me,  and  yet  had 
never  professed  Christianity.  I  said  to  him: 
"  Han  a  Koa,  you  see  what  our  good  God  has 
done  for  us!  The  Chinese  soldiers  cannot  say 
they  saved  us.  They  wouldn't  help  us.  Only 
God  saved  our  lives.  Isn't  that  true?  He  said: 
"  Yes,  that  is  true."  "  Well,  then,  you  ought  to 
believe  in  God,  Brother  Han."  And  he  replied : 
*'  I  do  believe  in  Him." 


Ruins  of  Reverend  F.  H.  Chalfant's  House 
AT  Wei  Hsien  After  Boxer  Riots 


A  Fat  Sheep  Presented  to  the  Missionaries 
DY  Yuan  Shih  K'ai  as  a  Good- Will  Offering 


CHAPTER  XIII 
HAZARDOUS  JOURNEY  TO  THE  COAST 

NEXT  morning  after  our  arrival  at  Fangz, 
our  feet  were  so  swelled  up  from  our 
long  tramp  we  could  hardly  get  on  our 
shoes,  but  our  hearts  were  light,  and  the  Ger- 
mans were  very  kind  and  gave  us  the  freedom 
of  their  house  and  camp,  saying :  "  All  is 
yours,"  and  set  their  "  Regina  "  music-box  going 
to  cheer  us  up.  They  had  come  direct  from  Ger- 
many to  China,  so  were  not  familiar  with  Eng- 
lish. One  of  them  looked  puzzled  and  said: 
"  English  is  a  very  uneasy  language  to  learn." 
Soon  after  breakfast  they  sprang  on  their  horses 
and  galloped  off  to  their  tall  stack  by  the  mines, 
as  they  saw  smoke  and  flames  rising.  The  Chi- 
nese had  laid  a  wide  circle  of  firewood  and  set 
fire  to  it,  but  the  Germans  got  there  in  time  to 
put  out  the  fire  before  any  great  damage  was 
done.  The  Chinese  had  cut  the  telegraph  wires, 
but  as  soon  as  they  were  repaired,  and  our  mes- 
sages had  been  sent  off,  the  Germans  also  re- 
ceived messages,  and  one  morning  they  received 
one  which  made  them  very  joyous,  from  their 
109 


110     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

authorities  at  Tsingtau,  telling  them  to  "  leave 
the  place  under  Chinese  guard  and  come  to  the 
coast."  This  freed  them  from  responsibility, 
and  at  once  they  began  tearing  up  and  packing, 
saying:  "If  the  Chinese  burn  the  place,  they 
will  have  to  pay  for  it."  The  chief  engineer  said 
at  dinner :  "  Outside  all  is  peace.  Inside  all  is 
mob !  My  potatoes  are  a  mob !  "  Sure  enough, 
there  was  no  mob  outside,  and  the  cook  was  so 
upset  by  the  confusion  of  packing,  the  potatoes 
were  not  served  quite  so  well  as  usual. 

Many  of  our  Christian  friends  had  been  to  see 
us,  and  the  Chinese  official  had  come  out  in  dig- 
nity and  state  with  his  red-capped  retainers,  and 
held  a  long  interview  with  Mr.  Chalfant,  trying 
to  put  the  blame  upon  him  at  first ;  but  seeing  he 
could  not,  apologized  for  the  disaster.  He  tried 
to  bribe  with  a  hundred  taels  of  silver,  which  he 
had  hidden  in  the  tea,  a  large  box  of  which  he 
presented  on  arrival.  Mr.  Chalfant  found  the 
silver,  and  returned  it  to  the  official,  saying: 
''  We  will  not  accept  the  tea  either,  if  it  has  any- 
thing to  do  with  the  public  affair."  The  official, 
being  scared  about  the  "  public  affair,"  lest  he 
be  called  to  account  for  it,  seemed  anxious  to 
make  things  right,  and  assured  Mr.  Chalfant 
that  the  tea  was  "  simply  a  personal  gift  to  your- 
self, Mr.  Chalfant." 

Governor  Yuan  Shih  K'ai  had  taken  extreme 
measures  in  Tsinanfu,  and  had  his  soldiers  shoot 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     111 

down  a  deputation  of  Boxer  leaders,  who  had 
tried  to  persuade  him  to  place  himself  at  the  head 
of  the  anti-foreign  movement  and  ''  free  China 
of  all  foreigners." 

Yu  Hsien,  former  governor  of  Shantung,  had 
just  been  made  governor  of  Shansi  Province. 
We  owe  it  to  this  change  of  governors  that  our 
Shantung  missionaries  were  not  all  killed.  Yu 
Hsien  was  extremely  anti-foreign,  and  strictly 
obeyed  the  Empress'  orders  to  "  slay  all  foreign- 
ers." He  began  by  killing  three  missionaries 
with  his  own  hands.  Then  a  terrible  slaughter 
of  missionaries  ensued.  Also,  their  little  chil- 
dren, and  Chinese  Christians  were  slain  all  over 
Shansi.  Su  Fang,  one  of  our  dear  medical  help- 
ers at  Wei  Hsien,  pupil  of  Dr.  Mary  Brown, 
who  had  married  a  Christian  teacher  and  moved 
to  Shansi,  was  killed  with  her  husband  and  chil- 
dren. 

In  one  day  Yu  Hsien  caused  fifty  foreign  mis- 
sionaries to  kneel  in  line  with  their  little  chil- 
dren, and  the  executioner  slew  them  with  the 
sword  as  he  passed  along  the  line.  The  children 
did  not  cry,  but  covered  their  faces  with  their 
little  hands  while  they  suffered  martyrdom. 
Then  Yu  Hsien  lined  up  fifty-six  native  Chris- 
tians, and  thus  he  spoke :  "  Now,  according  to 
the  Empress'  orders,  I  have  slain  these  hated 
*  foreign  devils.'  But  you  are  different,  being 
of  the  Middle  Kingdom.     If  you  will  now  give 


lis     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

up  and  utterly  renounce  forever  this  accursed 
doctrine,  all  will  be  forgiven  you.  Your  lives 
will  be  spared,  and  you  shall  be  our  people. 
What  do  you  say  ?  " 

Then  from  that  little  company  of  brave,  loyal 
disciples  of  our  Lord,  a  voice  at  once  rang  out 
so  true:  "  Ch'ing  Ta  Yin,  K'ai  tao  pa!  Puh 
yung  zai  wen  tao,  chu  shiliao !  "  That  is,  '*  Great 
man,  use  your  sword,  if  you  please.  You  need 
not  ask  us  that  question  again."  And  there  the 
angels  of  God  crowned  them. 

When  the  Boxer  war  was  over,  and  the  Boxer 
leaders  brought  to  justice,  Yu  Hsien,  governor 
of  Shansi,  met  his  end,  which  was  not  easy. 
There  are  two  accounts.  One  is  to  the  effect 
that  the  Empress  sent  him  a  red  cord  and  gave 
him  the  privilege  of  hanging  himself.  Another 
account  says  he  was  beheadedj  and  the  execu- 
tioner made  a  slip  with  the  first  blow  of  the 
sword,  when  the  victim  was  heard  to  say :  "  Ka 
tsoa  liao!  "  ("You  have  cut  wrong.") 

The  Empress  Dowager  in  her  flight  from 
Peking  to  Sianfu  stopped  as  she  passed  through 
Shansi  to  see  Yu  Hsien,  and  took  deep  interest 
as  he  showed  her  where  so  many  foreigners  and 
Chinese  Christians  had  been  killed,  and  ex- 
pressed her  high  approval. 

In  the  chapel  of  the  China  Inland  Mission  at 
Shanghai,  you  may  see  a  wall-tablet  of  bronze: 
"  In  Memory  of  Martyred  Missionaries.'* 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     113 

I  read  down  three  long  columns  of  names  un- 
der "  Shansi,"  and  counted  sixty-three,  includ- 
ing children  (some  named  Baby),  as  well  as  the 
missionaries  in  this  pathetic  roll.  Below  are  the 
words :  "  And  the  Lord  God  shall  wipe  tears 
from  off  all  faces." 

It  is  a  strange  event  during  the  recent  China 
Revolution,  and  worthy  of  the  notice  of  the 
Christian  and  civilized  world,  that  the  daughter 
of  Yu  Hsien  (governor  of  Shansi  and  mur- 
derer of  missionaries)  was  one  of  the  few  who 
escaped  from  the  slaughter  of  the  Manchus  in 
Sianfu,  and  she  sought  protection  and  found  it 
among  the  missionaries ! 

When  we  climbed  over  the  wall  at  Wei  Hsien, 
the  flames  from  the  burning  homes  on  every  side, 
there  were  only  three  of  us — Mr.  Chalfant,  Miss 
Boughton  and  I,  but  as  we  journeyed  to  the 
coast  from  the  German  mines,  oh,  what  a  pro- 
cession we  made,  winding  over  the  hills  and 
trailing  across  the  landscape!  We  had  first 
twenty-five  men  on  horses,  the  Germans  and  Chi- 
nese ofiicials;  then  a  shenza  carrying  a  sick  Ger- 
man; then  Mr.  Chalfant,  riding  on  the  sick  Ger- 
man's horse;  then  ten  carts  loaded  with  the  Ger- 
mans' goods  (wet  and  dry)  ;and,  lastly,  our  es- 
cort of  one  hundred  Chinese  foot  soldiers,  which 
the  city  official  had  insisted  upon  our  having  with 
us.  We  did  not  want  them,  but  there  seemed 
no  help  for  it.    Every  village  we  passed  through 


114     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

we  saw  the  people  out  in  crowds,  and  these 
treacherous  soldiers  would  say  to  the  villagers: 
"  Go  ahead  and  attack  the  foreign  devils  if  you 
like.  We  are  under  orders  not  to,  so  we  don't 
dare,  but  we  won't  interfere  if  you  do !  "  And 
when  we  reached  a  river,  we  had  to  wait  several 
hours  till  the  two  small  flat-boats  had  carried  all 
those  wretched  soldiers  over.  Had  it  not  been 
for  the  Germans  with  their  splendid  big  Mauser 
pistols,  which  inspired  the  Chinese  with  a  whole- 
some fear  as  they  heard  the  loud  shots  in  the  air, 
humanly  speaking,  we  never  would  have  reached 
the  coast  alive. 

At  one  place  where  we  spent  the  night  in  a 
miserable  inn,  the  people  were  very  unfriendly, 
and  stood  in  crowds  all  over  the  graves  around 
the  village  gate  as  we  entered,  and  in  thick  rows 
each  side  of  the  street  as  we  passed  through, 
their  faces  looking  very  hostile  and  determined. 
An  old  Christian  man  came  to  meet  us  here,  and 
in  low  tones  said  to  the  muleteer :  "  Keep  to  the 
north  road.  You  can't  get  through  the  south 
road.  It  is  very  dangerous."  He  had  been  with 
the  rescue  party,  composed  of  Dr.  Bergen  and 
some  German  soldiers,  who  had  started  to  our 
rescue,  but  were  attacked  and  driven  back  to 
Kiao  Chu  City,  where  they  waited  for  us.  That 
night  we  slept  little,  being  advised  not  to  un- 
dress, as  we  might  have  to  flee  at  any  moment. 
The  Germans  had  to  fire  in  the  air  several  times 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     115 

to  scare  away  the  Chinese,  who  came  in  like  a 
horde  when  we  entered  the  inn.  At  another 
place,  where  we  halted  for  noon  rest,  one  of  the 
Germans  rushed  in  waving  both  arms  wildly  in 
the  air,  exclaiming :  "  My  horse  is  stolen ! " 
And  they  had  a  lively  skirmish  to  recover  the 
horse. 

Next  day  we  were  gladdened  by  the  sight  of 
our  rescue  party.  Dr.  Bergen  riding  up  to  meet 
us  first.  Then  a  handsomely  uniformed  German 
cavalry  officer  saluted  us,  and  handed  in  our 
shenza  a  bottle  of  delightful  spring  water  and 
a  large  cake  of  sweet  chocolate.  These  were 
greatly  relished,  and  we  said  we  never  tasted 
anything  so  delicious  and  refreshing. 

That  night  we  rested  in  the  Swedish  Mission 
at  Kiao  Chu  City.  The  missionaries  had  all  fled, 
but  we  were  nicely  entertained  by  the  German 
postmaster  in  charge  of  the  place.  Next  morn- 
ing bright  and  early,  we  were  off  again,  and  ar- 
rived at  the  edge  of  the  bay  just  in  time  to  board 
the  little  government  steamer  bound  for  Tsing- 
tau,  and  just  due  to  start. 

"  Now,  Miss  Hawes,  you  are  going  to  the 
safest  place  in  China,"  said  Dr.  Bergen.  There 
lay  the  German  port  "  Tsingtau,"  in  a  crescent- 
shaped  harbour,  surrounded  by  a  rampart  of 
hills,  and  there  we  found  blessed  relief  after  our 
hard  experiences.  There  were  tears  of  joy  shed 
when  Mrs.  Chalfant  and  the  other  missionaries 


116    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

came  out  to  meet  us,  and  we  all  praised  God  for 
our  deliverance. 

We  were  a  pretty  shabby-looking  little  party, 
very  weary,  and  without  having  any  change  of 
raiment  for  so  many  days  on  the  journey.  But 
the  Bergens'  hospitable  home  was  opened  to  us, 
and  we  felt  much  better  after  our  cleaning  up 
and  rest,  and  the  Chinese  tailor  soon  had  us  pro- 
vided with  some  decent  clothes.  The  Ichowfu 
missionaries  came  the  next  day,  and  the  house 
was  filled  to  the  attic  with  missionary  refugees. 

"  There  is  no  other  God  that  can  deliver 
after  this  sort." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

PAOTINGFU  MARTYRS 
"  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  thisf " 

TO  the  glory  of  God,  and  in  loving  remem- 
brance of  George  Yardly  Taylor,  M.  D., 
the  Rev.  Frank  Edson  Simcox,  May  Gil- 
son,  his  wife,  and  their  children,  Paul,  Francis, 
gind  Margaret;  Cortlandt  Van  Rennslaer  Hodge, 
M.  D.,  and  Elsie  Campbell  Sinclair,  his  wife, 
who,  together  with  many  Chinese  fellow-Chris- 
tians, gave  up  their  lives  for  Christ  at  the  burn- 
ing of  the  Presbyterian  Mission  premises  on  this 
spot,  June  30,  A.D,,  1900/' 

"It  is  enough  for  the  disciple  that  he  be  as  his 
Master." — Matt.   10:25. 

"Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this  that  a 
man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends." 

"Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne  of  God, 
and  serve  Him  day  and  night  in  His  temple." 

The  Martyrs'  Memorial  Monument,  bearing 
the  above  inscription,  was  unveiled  on  April  22d, 
191 1,  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  It  stands  on 
the  site  of  the  Simcox  home,  where  these  five 

117 


118     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

brave  missionaries  and  three  children,  the  very- 
flower  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  made  their 
heroic  sacrifice  and  won  their  martyrs'  crown. 
The  many  loving  friends,  Chinese  and  foreign, 
who  gathered  around  this  monument  on  that 
bright  spring  day,  felt  they  should  indeed  "  put 
off  their  shoes  from  off  their  feet,"  for  the  place 
whereon  they  stood  was  "  holy  ground."  They 
could  not  stand  on  that  sacred  spot  without  feel- 
ing stirred  by  the  thought  of  such  matchless  love. 
These  noble  souls  '*  yielded  their  bodies  "  that 
the  Chinese  might  "  not  serve  nor  worship  any 
god  except  their  own  God,"  and  He  was  with 
them  in  their  hour  of  victory. 

On  June  30th,  1900,  just  five  days  after  the 
riots  at  Wei  Hsien,  our  Presbyterian  mission- 
aries at  Paotingfu  were  surrounded  by  a  horde 
of  Boxers,  who  had  gathered  up  a  rabble  as  they 
passed  along  to  the  Presbyterian  compound,  and 
carried  bundles  of  "  Kao  liang "  stalks,  which 
they  used  to  start  the  fires  and  burn  the  buildings. 
The  American  Minister  at  the  Capital  did  not 
have  enough  soldiers  to  guard  the  Americans 
at  Peking,  so  the  little  company  of  missionaries 
ninety  miles  away  in  Paotingfu  were  absolutely 
helpless.  They  gathered  in  one  house,  and  hav- 
ing no  way  of  escape,  they  perished  in  the  build- 
ing, which  was  set  on  fire  by  the  Boxers.  As 
the  flames  were  flashing  about,  Mr.  Simcox  was 
seen  walking  with  the  hand  of  each  of  his  boys 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     119 

in  his.  But  it  has  been  said :  "  The  form  of  a 
Fourth  appeared  Hke  the  Son  of  God."  Dr. 
Taylor,  one  of  the  gentlest  of  men,  a  worthy 
follower  of  the  "  Good  Physician,"  it  is  said, 
raised  his  gun  and  told  the  mob  that  he  might 
kill  many  of  them  if  he  should  use  it,  but  he 
"  had  not  come  to  China  to  harm  them,  and  he 
could  not  take  their  lives  even  when  his  own  was 
at  stake."  Then,  throwing  away  the  gun,  he 
soon  perished. 

The  fury  of  the  mob  continued  until  they  had 
utterly  destroyed  every  building  in  the  com- 
pound, and  had  also  murdered  all  the  mission- 
aries of  the  American  Board  and  China  Island 
Mission,  then  in  the  city.  Twenty-three  white 
marble  headstones  tell  the  dreadful  tale.  In 
three  graves  are  buried  nineteen  native  Christian 
martyrs,  making  twenty-six  in  all  who  died  for 
Christ.  The  story  of  Horace  Pitkin,  Miss  Mor- 
rell  and  Miss  Gould  is  well  known.  (Mrs.  Pit- 
kin and  child  were  in  America  then.)  Mr.  Pit- 
kin could  have  escaped,  but  he  nobly  remained  to 
protect  the  others,  and  they  all  suffered  martyr- 
dom together.  Three  English  missionaries  and 
a  child  also  perished.  During  the  Boxer  out- 
break the  C.  I.  Mission  lost,  it  is  reported,  about 
135  missionaries  and  53  missionary  children,  be- 
sides many  thousands  of  Chinese  Christians. 
"  Of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy." 
Some  people  say :     "  It  does  not  pay  to  send 


120    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

out  foreign  missionaries."  But  "  see  what  God 
hath  wrought."  "  The  blood  of  the  martyrs  is 
the  seed  of  the  church." 

To-day  new  buildings  occupy  the  places  of  the 
old,  and  new  missionaries  are  carrying  on  the 
precious  work  so  dearly  started  by  these  heroic 
souls  who  shed  their  blood  for  Christ  in  China. 
Little  children  are  playing  about  as  the  little  Sim- 
cox  children  used  to  play,  and  where  little  Gladys 
Bagnall,  five  years  old,  was  the  first  to  die  in  the 
little  company  of  Congregational  missionaries. 

It  is  said  that  a  new  missionary  who  arrived 
from  America  late  one  evening  at  Paotingfu 
scarcely  slept  that  first  night  because  of  the  sad 
associations.  Rising  in  the  early  morning,  she 
opened  her  window  blind,  and  the  first  thing  she 
saw  was  the  row  of  twenty-three  white  tomb- 
stones, and  nearly  fainted  at  the  pathetic  sight. 

"  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform." 

We  cannot  understand  these  mysteries.  The 
thought  of  these  precious  lives  sacrificed  in 
China  during  the  Boxer  war  is  simply  stunning 
to  our  sensibilities.  We  only  know  that  the 
church  of  Christ,  baptized  in  this  precious  blood, 
has  risen  triumphant  in  China  over  all  her  ene- 
mies. Our  missions  at  Paotingfu,  Peking,  Wei 
Hsien,  and  all  over  Shantung  and  other  Prov- 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     121 

inces,  have  doubled  their  force  of  workers;  in- 
creased their  property ;  the  native  Christians  now 
number  three  hundred  thousand,  which  is  three 
times  as  many  as  before  the  riots  of  1900. 

Besides  these  actually  baptized,  there  is  an 
enormous  constituency  estimated  at  over  three 
millions  who  know  the  value  and  feel  the  power 
of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ.  Also,  we  re- 
joice because  of  the  American  and  English 
churches  uniting  in  a  more  determined  way  to 
support  and  establish  the  work  of  God  in  China 
on  everlasting  foundations. 

Rev.  James  E.  Craighead,  with  Mrs.  Bessie 
Corbett  Craighead,  his  wife,  visited  Paotingfu  at 
the  time  of  the  unveiling  of  the  Martyrs'  Me- 
morial monument,  and  speaks  of  the  change  in 
the  attitude  of  the  Chinese  towards  the  mission- 
aries. Many  of  the  Boxer  leaders  were  executed, 
but  the  majority  of  the  rioters  were  treated  with 
consideration ;  their  city  was  spared,  and,  "  as 
one  of  the  marks  of  their  appreciation  of  Rev. 
J.  Walter  Lowrie's  gracious  intercessions  on 
their  behalf,  he  was  presented  with  sixteen  acres 
of  land  admirably  located,  for  the  Presbyterian 
mission."  The  new  church  has  a  spacious  audi- 
torium. The  grounds  of  the  old  compound  are 
now  used  as  a  Christian  and  foreign  cemetery. 
The  graves  of  five  native  Christian  martyrs  are 
here,  and  here  also  is  the  grave  of  Dr.  Lowrie's 
mother,  Mrs.  Amelia  Tuttle  Lowrie,  marked  by 


122    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

a  striking  tablet  erected  in  her  memory  by  the 
citizens  of  Paotingfu  and  its  suburbs.  Mrs. 
Lowrie  was  the  honored  and  dearly  beloved 
senior  member  of  the  Paotingfu  station,  having 
come  to  China  in  1854  in  a  sailing  vessel  with 
her  husband,  Rev.  Reuben  P.  Lowrie,  brother  of 
Rev.  Walter  M.  Lowrie,  who  suffered  martyr- 
dom in  South  China  July  19th,  1847. 

Rev.  Craighead  speaks  also  of  the  impressive 
gathering  of  Chinese  Christians,  crowding  the 
place  where  the  Boxers  once  raged,  and  now  re- 
peating the  '*  Lord's  Prayer  "  and  singing  at  the 
Martyrs'  monument: 

"  O  God,  to  us  may  grace  be  given 
To  follow  in  their  train ! " 


CHAPTER  XV 
RETURN  TO  AMERICA 

THREE  days  after  arriving  in  Tsingtau,  I 
left  for  America,  taking  with  me  little 
Margaret  Chalfant,  who  was  then 
twelve  years  old.  The  mission  at  Wei  Hsien  be- 
ing burned  to  the  ground,  and  there  being  no 
hope  of  rebuilding  and  taking  up  our  work  for 
at  least  six  months,  I  decided  to  strike  out  for 
the  more  peaceful  shores  of  my  native  country 
to  wait  till  the  war  was  over,  and  replenish  my 
lost  outfit. 

Arriving  first  at  Shanghai,  we  were  told  that 
there  were  placards  posted  up :  "  Kill  all  for- 
eigners !  "  and  that  if  we  should  hear  the  fire  bell 
strike  eight  times,  we  must  go  at  once  to  the 
Astor  House,  where  the  Volunteers  would  pro- 
tect us.  One  night  we  heard  seven  bells,  and  the 
next  morning  concluded  it  wasn't  desirable  to 
wait  any  longer  in  Shanghai  for  our  steamer 
for  America,  which  was  not  due  to  start  for 
nearly  two  weeks.  So  we  boarded  a  little 
steamer  for  Japan,  our  party  consisting  of  Mrs. 
Paries  and  her  four  boys,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  A. 
Fitch  and  their  two  little  sons,  Mrs.  Crossette, 

123 


124.    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

little  Margaret  Chalfant  and  myself.  We  were 
glad  to  see  Dr.  Faries,  who  had  secured  good 
quarters  for  us  at  Nagasaki  and  met  us  that 
rainy  day  when  we  landed.  We  put  up  in  the 
big  roomy  schoolhouse  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
Mission,  empty  because  of  vacation  time.  There 
was  no  furniture  but  the  big  broad  tables  and 
benches,  one  or  two  chairs  and  a  small  stove  for 
cooking.  We  soon  collected  some  necessities 
from  the  Japanese  shops,  however,  and  were 
very  happy  together.  Oh,  the  blessed  relief  of 
being  in  a  country  where  there  was  no  war !  Lit- 
tle Margaret  and  I  lay  on  our  rustic  Japanese 
straw  mattress,  rented  at  ten  cents  a  night, 
spread  on  the  floor,  and  we  could  see  out  over 
the  beautiful  harbour  where  the  ships  lay,  and 
the  bright  lights,  and  up  at  the  bright  twinkling 
stars  overhead. 

Little  Hugh  Fitch  in  the  next  room,  however, 
wasn't  very  well,  and  we  heard  him  wailing: 
**  Oh,  mamma,  I  wish  I  could  go  to  my  own  little 
bed!    I  don't  like  to  sleep  on  a  table! " 

It  was  so  pathetic  to  have  that  child  longing 
for  "  his  own  little  bed,"  that  I  determined  to 
raise  a  bed  from  somebody  for  that  boy  after  I 
got  home,  or  I  would  know  the  reason  why. 

"  BACK    FROM    BLOODY    CHINA !  " 

That  was  the  headline  in  the  newspapers  the 
day  after  I  landed  in  Pittsburg,  August   13th, 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    125 

1900.  We  were  met  and  joyfully  welcomed  by 
our  dear  friends,  who  had  been  so  anxious  about 
us.  The  newspaper  reporters  were  attentive 
also,  and  had  the  Boxer  story  without  delay. 
Owing  to  the  intense  heat,  however,  my  sister 
and  family  had  gone  to  the  seashore,  so  I  went 
next  day  to  join  them  at  a  pleasant  place  called 
Center  Moriches  on  Long  Island. 

Too  sacred  to  express  was  the  precious  meet- 
ing when  our  good  Father  brought  two  sisters 
together,  and  permitted  the  weary  traveller  to 
see  the  faces  of  those  most  dear  on  earth,  and 
gave  relief  to  their  anxiety,  after  the  years  of 
separation  and  trial. 

"  Home !  the  safe  and  blissful  shelter 
Where  is  glad  and  full  content, 
And  companionship  of  kindred;  and  the 
Treasures  early  rent. 
From  your  holding  shall  be  given  back 
More  precious  than  before. 
Oh !  you  will  not  mind  the  journey 
With  such  blessedness  in  store. 
When  the  road  leads  home ! " 


CHAPTER  XVI 

MISSIONARY  WORK  AT  HOME 

AS  soon  as  I  arrived  home,  I  was  kept 
pretty  busy  trying  to  persuade  people 
everywhere  that  there  were  still  some 
good  people  in  China,  and  that  they  were  not  all 
like  the  Boxers.  My  own  beloved  "  Shadyside 
Presbyterian  Church "  had  stood  loyally  back 
of  me  with  their  support  and  prayers  while  I 
was  in  China,  and  had  also  raised  $1,500  to  re- 
pair the  "  Ladies'  Home,"  which  I  left  in  ashes 
at  Wei  Hsien.  They  naturally  felt  disheartened 
about  providing  a  home  for  me  in  such  a  danger- 
ous location,  and  they  asked  Elder  Pitcairn,  be- 
fore I  arrived  home,  not  to  send  the  money  to 
China,  for  they  had  heard  of  the  burning  of  our 
Mission.  So,  when  I  returned  home,  barely  es- 
caped from  Wei  Hsien  with  only  the  clothes  on 
my  back,  Elder  Pitcairn  sent  me  a  cheque  for 
$450,  saying  that  was  the  portion  of  the  $1,500 
which  the  givers  wished  him  to  *'  send  to  Miss 
Hawes."  The  rest  of  the  money  he  had  sent 
at  their  request,  to  the  aid  of  the  ''  South  Side 
Presbyterian  Church."  I  went  at  once  to  see 
126 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     127 

my  pastor,  Rev.  Richard  S.  Holmes,  D.D.,  and 
gave  him  that  cheque  for  $450,  and  said :  "  This 
money  doesn't  belong  to  me.  It  belongs  to  the 
Lord.  That  house  must  be  rebuilt."  He  agreed 
with  me,  and  worked  vigorously  to  raise  the  rest 
of  the  money  needed  to  rebuild  a  home  for  the 
Shadyside  missionary  in  China.  The  Board 
wrote  to  my  pastor  that  they  had  divided  up 
the  work  of  rebuilding  the  Wei  Hsien  mission 
station  among  the  churches,  asking  each  church 
to  raise  a  certain  portion  for  rebuilding  certain 
houses.  This  was  a  splendid  way  of  having  the 
Wei  Hsien  mission  become  an  investment  of 
many  of  God's  people  at  home,  and  blessed  by 
their  united  gifts  and  prayers,  the  Wei  Hsien 
mission  stands  today  a  beautiful  triumph  over 
Satan's  darts. 

The  Third  Presbyterian  Church  of  Pittsburg 
was  asked  to  give  a  certain  portion  of  money 
needed  to  rebuild  the  "  Woman's  Hospital," 
which  they  gave,  and  we  have  a  far  better  hos- 
pital now  for  the  poor  sick  women  than  we  had 
in  the  old  days  before  the  riots.  The  Pt. 
Breeze  Church  was  asked  to  give  $1,500  to  re- 
build the  Boys'  High  School.  The  elder  tele- 
phoned me,  asking  me  to  speak  on  Sabbath 
morning  in  the  Pt.  Breeze  Church  for  that  cause. 
I  was  dismayed  at  the  idea  of  speaking  in  a  big 
city  church  on  Sabbath  morning,  and  tried  to 
beg  him  to  excuse  me. 


128    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

"  Well,  Miss  Hawes,"  was  the  answer,  "  the 
people  won't  give  that  money  unless  you  present 
the  cause.  You  have  been  there  and  can  tell 
them  about  the  school,  but  they  will  not  take  in- 
terest and  give  unless  you  do." 

Then  I  went,  and  two  good  earnest  women 
were  praying  for  me  on  that  Sabbath  morning 
during  the  entire  time  that  I  spoke  for  our  dear 
boys  in  China,  before  that  large  city  church 
crowded  with  God's  people,  who  had  begun  to 
think  it  didn't  pay  to  give  money  to  have  mis- 
sion stations  burnt  up  by  the  Boxers.  The 
prayers  were  answered,  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
opened  their  hearts,  so  the  collection  amounted 
to  $900.  Checks  were  sent  in  through  the  week 
for  the  rest  of  the  portion  asked — $1,500,  and 
now  we  have  the  "  Point  Breeze  Academy  for 
Boys  "  in  the  place  of  the  old  despoiled  school 
building.  Sixty  pupils  in  attendance,  and  I  wish 
the  Pt.  Breeze  people  could  have  seen  them,  on 
Christmas  morning  last,  come  in  a  body,  bright 
young  fellows,  to  thank  us  for  their  tablets  and 
lead  pencils  sent  them  from  the  '*  Pittsburg 
Branch.*' 

When  Dr.  Holmes  presented  the  Board's  re- 
quest for  the  Shadyside  Church  to  give  a  portion 
of  money  to  rebuild  a  home  for  their  missionary, 
the  people  took  interest  again,  and  gave  the  por- 
tion asked  of  them,  with  the  provision  that  it 
should  be  a  home  for  their  missionary,  and  that 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     129 

it  should  be  called  "  The  Shadyside  Home." 
When  I  came  back  to  Wei  Hsien,  and  was  al- 
lowed to  live  in  this  beautiful  restful  home,  I 
have  many  times  been  grateful  to  God  for  this 
blessing  provided  by  my  good  friends.  The 
country  evangelistic  work  is  most  precious.  I 
would  not  change  it  for  any  other  on  the  mis- 
sion field,  if  I  could  help  it,  but  it  is  no  fairy 
tale  to  stand  the  strain  and  sometimes  real  hard- 
ships connected  with  itinerating  in  China.  And 
I  tell  you  it  is  very  sweet  to  find  rest  and  com- 
fort in  a  nice  home  in  the  compound,  after  a 
trying  country  trip.  When  I  found  the  tile  roof 
was  leaking  too  badly  for  repair,  the  wood  be- 
neath rotting  and  threatening  to  collapse  and 
fall  in  on  me,  the  Shadyside  people  again  con- 
tributed and  sent  me  the  means  to  put  on  a 
good  new  corrugated  iron  roof.  So  now  on 
rainy  days  and  nights,  I  *'  laugh  at  the  storm," 
and  listen  to  the  pleasant  pattering  of  the  little 
raindrops  with  no  fear  of  the  ceiling  dropping 
on  my  head,  or  having  to  run  with  my  dish  pan 
or  bath  tub  to  catch  the  drips. 

It  was  my  privilege  to  visit  many  of  the  home 
churches,  and  I  wish  there  were  space  to  tell  of 
all  the  loving  kindness  shown  me  in  every  part 
of  the  country  where  I  was  invited  to  tell  the 
story  of  our  escape.  From  my  own  church,  I 
went  through  ten  presbyteries,  visiting  almost 
every  church  in  their  bounds,  and  with  the  help 


130    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

of  the  earnest  good  women  in  the  foreign  mis- 
sion societies  organized  new  mission  bands  and 
societies.  Mrs.  C.  P.  Turner,  former  president 
of  the  Philadelphia  Foreign  Society,  arranged 
for  me  a  fine  trip  through  the  Synod  of  Tennes- 
see. This  gave  me  some  very  lovely  and  some 
very  unique  experiences.  Part  of  the  journey 
was  over  very  high  mountains  where  no  buggy 
could  possibly  travel;  so,  mounting  a  yellow 
mule,  I  rode  with  the  missionary  who  rode  a 
black  mule  over  the  mountains  to  his  mission, 
twelve  miles  away,  called  Big  Laurel,  N.  C.  We 
forgot  to  provide  ourselves  with  lunch,  and  on 
the  way  I  grew  so  hungry  I  could  have  eaten  the 
very  leaves  of  the  forest,  but  the  missionary 
called  to  a  woman  standing  by  a  tiny  cabin : 

*'  Have  you  any  corn  bread  ?  " 

She  replied :  **  I  haven't  any  hot  bread.  I 
have  some  cold  bread !  " 

She  gladly  sold  us  a  huge  piece  for  ten  cents. 
It  was  as  heavy  as  a  stone,  but  ah!  how  good  it 
tasted.  Next  day  we  had  an  all-day  meeting,  and 
those  sturdy  mountaineers,  dressed  in  calico  and 
sun-bonnets,  walked  in  from  their  little  cabins, 
some  of  them  seven  miles  distant,  to  attend. 
How  they  did  listen,  and  how  some  of  them  did 
rub  snuff  and  spit !  But  when  the  story  reached 
the  point  of  climbing  over  the  wall  at  Wei  Hsien, 
they  were  so  absorbed  they  forgot  to  spit !  And 
they  gave  twenty  dollars  in  their  collection  for 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     131 

foreign  missions.  Next  day  my  yellow  mule 
carried  me  six  miles  to  Allanstand,  another  pic- 
turesque spot  in  the  beautiful  mountains,  where 
the  little  children  sang  so  sweetly: 

"  There  is  no  Friend  like  the  lowly  Jesus ; 
No,  not  one.    No,  not  one  !  " 

Then  a  black  mule  carried  me  for  ten  miles, 
fording  a  very  deep  stream,  and  over  the  high 
mountains,  the  mail  carrier  my  guide,  down  to 
the  railroad,  where  I  just  caught  a  freight  train 
going  to  my  next  place — Hot  Springs.  I  found 
the  Presbyterian  preacher.  Rev.  F.  W.  Jackson, 
once  a  Shantung  missionary,  just  ready  with  his 
family  to  enjoy  a  splendid  dinner  of  baked  beans, 
and  they  were  very  delicious  and  refreshing  to 
the  weary  traveller,  stiff  from  the  long  mule-back 
ride.  In  the  afternoon  the  preacher  conducted 
me  to  Paint  Rock,  a  place  six  miles  up  the  rail- 
road, where  we  had  a  little  school-house  full  of 
interested  hearers  after  our  evening  meal  with 
the  missionary  ladies.  Mr.  Jackson  warned  me 
before  I  began  to  speak  to  the  people  that  the 
last  train  was  due  at  eight  o'clock,  returning  to 
Hot  Springs,  and  to  cut  my  talk  short  if  I  did 
not  wish  to  walk  six  miles,  by  missing  that  train. 
But,  inspired  by  the  many  uplifted  eager  faces, 
and  the  great  subject  of  China,  time  and  trains 
were  entirely  forgotten,  until  a  whistle  sounded, 


132    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

and  I  saw  a  few  nodding  to  each  other  as  much 
as  to  say,  "  There  is  the  train !  "  With  a  part- 
ing request  that  they  should  all  pray  for  China,  I 
seized  my  cloak  and  dashed  for  the  door  and 
out  into  the  darkness. 

Mr.  Jackson  followed  me,  calling:  "Miss 
Hawes,  Miss  Hawes! " 

But  I  plunged  ahead,  not  heeding  his  cries, 
and  fell  headlong,  face  downward,  into  a  big 
ditch,  which  was  fortunately  dry,  so  I  was  not 
hurt  or  wet,  and  scrambling  up,  with  one  more 
last  rush,  I  got  to  the  little  station  just  in  time 
to  see  the  train  go  by,  which  was  only  a  freight 
train,  after  all!  Mr.  Jackson  with  his  lantern 
and  the  congregation  appeared  soon,  and  told 
me  how  much  they  "  enjoyed  the  talk,"  and  we 
all  laughed  together  when  the  real  train  came 
along  to  carry  us  over  those  six  miles  home. 

The  next  morning  I  was  struck  with  one  of 
the  earnest  faces  before  me  in  the  Sabbath 
School  of  the  Borland  Institute,  a  school  for 
mountain  boys.  This  boy's  name  was  Percy 
Peck,  a  bright  boy  of  about  twelve  years.  He 
looked  so  much  like  my  dear  nephew  at  home 
that  I  had  a  little  talk  with  him  after  service. 
That  evening  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Rev. 
Jackson  said  very  earnestly :  "  Now,  you  have 
all  heard  about  the  work  in  China,  and  I  feel 
sure  some  of  us  here  would  like  to  show  our  love 
to  Christ.    Are  we  going  to  let  those  old  women 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     133 

in  China  go  into  heaven,  and  any  of  us  be  left 
out?  Let  us  make  this  meeting  tonight  mean 
something  for  us!  Who  will  come  out  on  the 
Lord's  side  tonight?  In  the  silence  that  fol- 
lowed, Percy  Peck,  my  dear  little  mountain  boy, 
arose,  his  face  all  shining,  and  prayer  was  of- 
fered for  him.  Next  morning  he  said  to  me :  "I 
will  always  be  a  Christian  man.  That  meeting 
last  night  did  a  great  deal  for  me !  " 

The  mountain  schools  in  the  South  are  gather- 
ing in  some  very  precious  jewels  for  our  Master. 

On  my  way,  Mrs.  Campbell,  a  returned  mis- 
sionary from  Africa,  told  me  she  had  spoken  in 
a  missionary  meeting  where  one  of  the  ladies 
asked  her: 

''  Are  you  the  Miss  Campbell  who  was 
drowned  in  Siam?  " 

In  all  my  travels,  I  never  met  anybody  like 
that  who  thought  missionaries  could  go  through 
anything,  even  drowning,  and  still  live  to  tell 
the  tale,  but  I  have  met  the  most  cordial,  sympa- 
thetic hearts,  and  found  rest  and  refreshment  in 
kind,  hospitable  homes  everywhere  I  went.  And 
I  never  failed  to  get  the  ready  substantial  aid  I 
asked  for  to  help  my  missionary  co-workers  out 
in  China  to  set  up  housekeeping  again.  Hugh 
Fitch  got  his  bed,  and  the  first  woman's  prayer 
meeting  after  the  riots  at  Wei  Hsien  was  held  on 
a  bright  new  rag  carpet,  spread  on  the  ground, 
to  the  great  delight  of  the  Chinese  women  who 


134    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

sat  upon  it,  a  gift  from  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Allegheny  to  Mrs.  Mateer,  who  led 
the  meeting,  and  who  was  the  first  woman  mis- 
sionary to  venture  back  to  Wei  Hsien  after  the 
riots.  How  glad  the  Chinese  Christians  were 
to  see  the  missionaries  back  again!  They  cried 
for  joy,  and  gathered  quickly  to  pour  out  their 
hearts  in  gratitude  to  God. 

While  at  home  I  remembered  my  Chinese 
teacher  Wang,  who  had  done  such  faithful  work 
as  teacher  and  evangelist,  but  who  longed  to  fin- 
ish his  college  course,  saying :  "  I  feel  like  a 
man  who  has  not  eaten  enough.  I  am  hungry 
for  the  rest  of  my  course." 

The  money  was  furnished  by  a  Christian  gro- 
cer for  this  good  object.  He  handed  me  $200  in 
gold,  saying  it  was  left  by  his  dying  wife  for 
God's  work  in  China.  This  sacred  bequest  was 
well  invested.  "  Wang  Yuan  Teh "  was  thus 
enabled  to  finish  his  college  course,  and  gradu- 
ated with  the  highest  honours  of  his  class.  Dr. 
Calvin  Mateer  found  him  such  a  valuable  assist- 
ant in  his  work  of  translation  of  the  Scriptures 
into  Chinese,  that  he  retained  him  for  that  work 
and  provided  another  teacher  for  me  named 
Feng,  who  was  also  an  acceptable  evangelist. 

After  the  death  of  Dr.  Mateer,  Wang  was 
chosen  as  professor  in  the  college,  and  he  still 
holds  this  position.  He  is  also  an  elder  in  the 
church,  and  often  preaches  in  the  chapel.     His 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    135 

sermons  are  clear  and  earnest  and  listened  to 
with  attention.  He  has  a  neat  home  and  a  very 
happy  family,  his  wife  being  a  High  School 
graduate  and  one  of  our  best  Christian  teachers. 
They  have  two  bright  little  sons,  whom  they  have 
dedicated  to  God's  service. 

We  have  just  received  the  good  news  of  the 
success  of  two  of  our  good  college  boys,  and 
their  brave  loyalty  to  God  under  very  trying  cir- 
cumstances. ''  Sze  I  Suen  "  (or  Ernest,  as  we 
call  him),  one  of  our  very  bright  and  earnest 
Christian  college  students,  sails  next  week  for 
America,  where  he  will  be  received  as  a  student 
at  Yale  University,  having  successfully  passed 
his  examinations  at  the  Imperial  University  at 
Peking.  This  is  in  accordance  with  the 
agreement  between  the  United  States  and 
China,  after  the  Boxer  war,  that  China 
should  educate  young  men  to  be  sent  to 
American  or  English  Christian  colleges  in- 
stead of  paying  indemnity  money  to  the  United 
States,  as  other  nations  demanded.  Ernest  is 
the  first  student  to  go  under  this  agreement  from 
our  Presbyterian  Shantung  University,  and  we 
are  rejoicing  over  this,  and  ask  you  to  pray  for 
him.  This  young  man  appeared  at  the  Chinese- 
English  school  at  Chefoo  when  he  was  a  boy  of 
ten,  and  the  teacher,  the  late  Rev.  George  Corn- 
well,  of  our  Presbyterian  mission,  admitted  him 
most  cordially,  not  only  to  the  school,  but  also 


136    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

as  a  member  of  his  own  family,  when  Ernest's 
heathen  parents  disowned  him  because  of  his  be- 
lief in  Christ.  He  was  very  studious,  and  Mrs. 
Cornwell  taught  him  English  and  let  him  eat  at 
the  same  table  with  her  children.  From  that 
time  all  through  his  course  in  school  and  college 
he  has  showed  gratitude  and  appreciation  for  all 
the  help  he  has  received  from  the  missionaries, 
and  while  at  Peking  he  held  to  his  Christian 
principles  and  refused  to  worship  the  tablet  of 
Confucius. 

"  Yi  Shing  Lin  "  is  another  loyal  Christian,  a 
graduate  of  our  college  at  Tengchow,  who  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  teacher  in  the  Provincial 
School  at  Honan,  at  a  high  salary.  Upon  his  ar- 
rival, the  official  received  him  with  respect,  and 
said :  ''  Here  are  your  pupils.  You  will  first 
conduct  them  to  the  temple  and  worship  Con- 
fucius, and  then  return  and  formally  open 
school."  Great  was  his  amazement  when  our 
loyal  Christian  graduate  refused  to  prostrate 
himself  at  the  feet  of  Confucius,  saying  he  was 
willing  to  do  everything  else,  but  he  could  not 
consent  to  worship  any  but  the  true  God!  For 
three  long  hours  they  talked  the  matter  over,  but 
our  Christian  graduate  was  firm  and  true  to  God, 
and  thereby  lost  his  position.  The  official,  how- 
ever, could  not  afford  to  lose  the  good  teacher 
and  retained  him  as  tutor  to  his  own  sons 
through  the  year,  allowing  him  to  worship  God 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    137 

according  to  his  own  conscience.  At  the  close 
of  the  year  he  went  to  Paotingfu,  where  he  is 
teaching  in  the  mihtary  college.  He  has  higher 
plans,  however,  for  he  is  preparing  to  enter  one 
of  our  theological  seminaries  with  the  view  of 
entering  the  ministry. 

There  is  wonderful  change  now  in  China,  a 
broader  outlook  being  taken  by  the  influential 
classes  of  the  Chinese.  Hundreds  of  interested, 
intelligent  people  attend  the  daily  and  hourly 
preaching  services  in  Chinanfu,  and  our  mis- 
sionaries are  all  greatly  encouraged. 


138    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

"THE   MISSIONARY" 

"  My  soul  is  not  at  rest.    There  comes  a  strange 
And  secret  whisper  to  my  spirit.    Like 
A  dream  of  night  that  tells  me  I  am  on 
Enchanted  ground.    Why  live  I  here? 
The  vows  of  God  are  on  me,  and  I  may  not  stop 
To  play  with  earthly  shadows,  or  pluck  earthly 

flowers. 
Till  I  my  work  have  done,  and  rendered  up 
Account.     The  voice  of  my  departed  Lord: 

*  Go  teach  all  nations,'  from  the  Eastern  world 
Comes  on  the  night  air,  and  awakes  my  ear. 

And  I  will  go.    I  may  not  longer  doubt 

To  give  up  friends,  and  home,  and  idle  hopes, 

And  every  tender  tie  that  binds  my  heart 

To  thee — my  country.     Why  should  I  regard 

Earth's  little  store  of  borrowed  sweets.     I  sure 

Have  had  enough  of  bitter  in  my  cup, 

To  show  that  never  was  it  His  design. 

Who  placed  me  here,  that  I  should  live  at  ease, 

Or  drink  at  pleasure's  fountain.     Henceforth  then 

It  matters  not  if  storm  or  sunshine  be 

My  future  lot ;  bitter  or  sweet  my  cup : 

I  only  pray,  *  God  fit  me  for  my  work; 

God  make  me  holy,  and  my  spirit  nerve 

For  the  stern  hour  of  strife.'    Let  me  but  know 

There  is  an  arm  unseen  that  holds  me  up. 

An  eye  that  kindly  watches  all  my  path: 

Till  I  my  weary  pilgrimage  have  done. 

Let  me  but  know  I  have  a  Friend  that  waits 

To  welcome  me  to  glory,  and  I  joy 

To  tread  the  dark  and  death-fraught  wilderness." 


CHAPTER  XVII 
RETURN  TO  CHINA 

WHEN  I  left   China,  the  people  asked: 
''  When  will  you  come  back  to  us  ?  " 
Just  after  I  landed  in  America,  the 
people  asked :     "  When  are  you  going  back  to 
China?" 

Although  it  is  wonderfully  sweet  to  be  in  the 
homeland,  yet  every  missionary  feels  the  "  East 
a-calling "  pretty  strong  by  and  by,  and  so  it 
came  to  pass  that  Thanksgiving  Day,  1904, 
found  me  back  in  old  China,  and  celebrating 
"  Thanksgiving "  with  our  good  missionaries 
(Presbyterian  and  Baptist)  at  Rev.  Pruitt's 
home  in  Tengchow,  a  quaint  little  city  by  the  sea. 
I  had  sailed  this  time  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Watson 
M.  Hayes  and  their  little  son  Ernest;  had  been 
welcomed  in  the  East  Shantung  annual  meeting 
and  received  the  kindly  hand  grasp  of  our  grand 
old  pioneer  missionary.  Dr.  Hunter  Corbett,  at 
Chef 00,  and  had  been  cordially  invited  by  the 
members  of  the  Tengchow  mission  station,  both 
Chinese  and  foreign,  to  join  them,  and  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  W.  F.  Seymour  with  their  bright  little  baby 
139 


140    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

boy  had  taken  me  in  their  hospitable  home  and 
made  me  very  comfortable  and  happy. 

It  was  very  sweet  to  give  thanks  for  all  the 
mercies  of  the  past  year,  and  I  felt  esj)ecially 
grateful  to  God,  who  had  once  more  entrusted 
me  with  His  precious  message  of  salvation,  and 
brought  me  safely  over  the  deep  waters  to  this 
great  country  of  China,  whose  hoary  antiquity 
stretches  away  back  through  ancient  history,  and 
into  the  mists  of  fable  for  unknown  thousands  of 
years,  and  yet  the  majority  of  whose  vast  mil- 
lions have  not  yet  been  reached  by  the  Gospel. 
Don't  you  hear  their  souls'  sad  cry,  "  The  har- 
vest is  past,  the  summer  is  ended,  and  we  are 
not  saved !  " 

A  great  change  had  come  over  China  since  I 
had  been  chased  out  by  the  mob  in  1900.  The 
allied  forces  had  rescued  the  missionaries  and 
legations  (just  in  time  to  prevent  their  being  all 
blown  up  by  the  undermine  powder  blast  the 
Empress  had  nearly  completed  under  them),  and 
they  had  put  an  end  to  the  Boxer  War.  The 
tired  regiments  of  soldiers  had  received  a  joyous 
welcome  when  they  entered  the  British  Lega- 
tion, and  they  were  revived  by  hot  pony  soup — 
the  best  there  was  to  offer  them.  The  Chinese 
Government  and  people  had  been  conquered,  and 
the  terms  of  peace  were  very  grievous,  so  they 
had  learned  their  lesson. 

The  proud  Empress  Dowager  had   failed  to 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    141 

annihilate  the  missionaries  and  other  foreigners, 
and  had  been  a  fugitive  herself  for  a  time.  His 
Excellency  Ching  Shan  says  in  his  diary  writ- 
ten August  14th: 

"  At  the  hour  of  the  Monkey  (4  P.  M.),  Duke 
Lan  burst  into  the  Palace,  unannounced,  and 
shouted :  "  Old  Buddha,  the  foreign  devils  have 
come !  "  Close  upon  his  footsteps  came  Kang 
I,  who  reported  that  a  large  force  of  turbaned 
soldiery  were  encamped  in  the  grounds  of  the 
Temple  of  Heaven. 

"  They  are  foreign  devils.  Your  Majesty 
must  escape  at  once,  or  they  will  murder  you !  " 

They  fled  at  dawn  of  day  in  common  carts. 
For  the  first  time  in  her  life,  her  hair  was  done 
up  in  the  Chinese  fashion  (twisted  in  a  knot). 
•   "  Who  could  ever  have  believed  that  it  would 
come  to  this  ?  "  she  said. 

When  the  favorite  wife  of  the  Emperor 
pleaded  that  he  be  allowed  to  remain  in  Peking, 
she  shouted  to  the  eunuchs  on  duty : 

"  Throw  her  down  the  well !  " 

In  vain  the  Emperor  fell  at  his  knees  in  sup- 
plication. She  was  cast  down  the  large  well  just 
outside  the  Palace.  Then  they  fled  in  common 
carts  as  poor  country  folk,  and  made  their  way 
to  the  ancient  Northern  Capital,  Si-An-Fu, 
Shensi  Province. 

A  Peking  missionary  says :  ''  The  Emperor, 
who  for  two  years  was  a  prisoner  in  his  island 


14a  NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

palace,  continually  opposed  the  insane  course  of 
the  empress  dowager.  He  exposed  himself  to 
scorn  and  insult  by  tearfully  protesting  against 
the  declaration  of  war  in  June.  When  he  heard 
that  the  Allies  had  entered  Peking,  he  entreated 
that  he  might  be  allowed  to  go  in  person  to  the 
legations  to  sue  for  peace.  He  was  dragged  an 
unwilling  exile  from  his  Capital  that  August 
morning.  Gladly  would  he  recross  the  snow- 
clad  mountains,  and  in  the  capital  of  his  ances- 
tors seek  to  bring  peace  and  prosperity  to  his 
distracted  country.'' 

During  their  absence,  the  temples  and  palaces 
in  the  Forbidden  City  were  occupied  by  foreign 
soldiers.  Even  Bible  classes  and  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
meetings  were  held  by  Christian  teachers  right 
in  the  very  rooms  the  Dowager  had  lived  in.  At 
one  of  these  meetings  a  young  soldier,  Mr.  Chris- 
tian, was  converted,  joined  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and 
has  been  doing  Christian  work  ever  since  among 
soldiers. 

The  Empress  hated  all  foreigners,  but  she 
smoked  foreign  cigarettes  and  lighted  her  pal- 
aces with  electric  light,  and  the  soldiers  found 
under  the  Emperor's  bed  a  large  box  containing 
a  foreign  mechanical  doll  that  could  walk.  The 
British  soldiers  felt  sorry  for  the  Emperor,  and 
saved  many  boxes  of  his  valuables,  which  they 
returned  to  him  when  the  Court  returned  from 
Si-An-Fu.      However,   the  Empress  must  have 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    143 

missed  some  of  her  large  and  costly  vases  and 
jardineres,  as  it  is  said  the  soldiers  tied  ropes 
around  their  necks  and  used  them  for  water 
buckets. 

His  Excellency  Ching  Shan  closed  his  diary, 
saying:  ''  The  Empress  has  fled.  All  the  women 
of  my  family  have  taken  poison  and  died.  There 
is  no  one  to  prepare  my  evening  meal !  "  Ching 
Shan  was  murdered  that  evening  by  his  unfilial 
sons,  who  pushed  him  down  a  well  in  order  to 
secure  his  money. 

The  Taku  forts,  which  defended  the  sea  en- 
trance to  Peking,  were  razed  and  the  railroad  to 
the  Capital  occupied  by  foreign  troops.  Indem- 
nity had  to  be  paid.  New  Commercial  treaties 
were  made.  Governor  Yuan  Shih  K'ai  had  pro- 
tected the  Shantung  missionaries,  and  while  on 
that  Thanksgiving  Day,  1904,  we  sorrowed  for 
the  loss  of  precious  lives  in  China,  yet  we  all  re- 
joiced that  the  Boxer  War  was  over,  and  the  re- 
action had  set  in,  so  that  peace  and  quiet  seemed 
assured  to  the  missionary,  and  the  people  were 
ready  for  new  ideas  and  teaching. 

The  college  had  been  transferred  from  Teng- 
Chow  to  Wei  Hsien,  Dr.  Calvin  Mateer  had  re- 
signed the  presidency,  Dr.  Watson  Hayes  had 
succeeded  him,  and  then  Dr.  Paul  D.  Bergen 
had  become  President.  But  Dr.  Mateer  was 
deep  in  the  work  of  translating  the  Scriptures, 
and  needed  my  Chinese  teacher  Wang  to  help 


144    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

him.  He  justly  sent  me  an  excellent  teacher  in 
his  place  named  Feng  to  help  me  refresh  my  Chi- 
nese language.  Also,  my  good  old  cook  Lii,  who 
had  been  so  faithful  to  us  on  the  day  of  the  riots 
and  suffered  so,  hearing  I  was  in  Teng-Chow, 
mounted  a  donkey  and  rode  for  six  days  from 
his  home  in  the  interior,  and  I  was  glad  to  see 
his  good  old  friendly,  smiling  face  once  more, 
and  hear  him  say  he  was  going  to  stay  and  help 
me. 

The  following  letter  from  Wang,  written  in 
the  scanty  English  which  he  had  picked  up  him- 
self (as  it  was  not  then  in  the  college  course) 
will  be  of  interest : 


"Wei  Hsien  1904 — 9 — 29 
*'  Dear  Miss  Hawes, 

"  I  am  very  gladly  that  you  came  back  from 
America.  I  thanks  God  for  I  can  see  you  in 
this  world.  All  Chinese  women  that  you  know 
hope  you  come  back  bequickly.  Because  we 
overheard  that  you  go  to  Tengchow,  not  Wei 
Hsein.  That  makes  us  very  sorrow.  In  five 
months  ago,  I  am  already  decided  to  help  Mr. 
Mateer  translation  the  Holy  Bible.  I  think  if 
I  can  help  Mr.  Mateer.  Well  I  cannot  help  you 
to  preaches  the  Gospel.  Therefore  I  told  Mrs. 
Chalfant  if  you  come  Back  Wei  Hsien  I  am 
very  wish  my  wife  Pan  Wang  to  help  you  read 
Bible  and  preach.  But  you  are  already  Decided 
go  to  Tengchow.  I  think  she  must  not  wish  go. 
And  I  saw  Liu  Wen  Chi,  he  said  unto  me  He 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    145 

must  go  to  help  you.     I  am  praying  my  God 
help  you  in  every  day. 

"  Wang  Yuan  Teh." 

After  Dr.  Mateer  had  told  Wang  he  could  not 
spare  him  from  the  work  of  translation,  this  was 
the  result : 

"  Miss  Hawes, 

"  Mr.  Mateer  Determined  not  let  me  go  and 
write  a  letter  to  you.  Beg  you  permitting  him. 
I  must  help  him  translation  the  holy  Bible.  I 
dont  Know  if  I  can  Burden  this  heavy  laden  or 
not.  If  he  must  want  me  help  He  must  give 
me  a  good  nourishment.  My  Parents  and  my 
family  all  pretty  well.  Only  one  Business  make 
me  very  sorrow  for  them  want  me  help  is  too 
much  for  theirs  debts.  But  I  graduated  only 
six  months.  How  I  can  getting  so  much  cash 
to  help  them.  I  pray  my  God  save  me.  I  Be- 
lieved Him  must  save  me.  My  Parents  give 
Thanks  to  you  for  you  help  me  graduated  from 
Teng-chow  College.  The  wemen  of  my  village 
that  you  knew  and  my  family  joints  me  in  kind- 
est regards. 

"  Wang  Yuan  Teh." 

I  was  not  surprised  after  reading  these  letters 
to  hear  from  Dr.  Mateer  that  he  found  Wang  a 
''pretty  expensive  luxury,"  for  he  had  to  pay  his 
poor  family's  debts,  but  he  couldn't  afford  to  do 
without  him.  This  is  just  a  single  instance  of 
how  the  poor  Christian  students  who  graduate 


146    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

and  begin  to  earn  a  living,  are  taxed  to  support 
so  many  of  their  poor  relations,  and  no  wonder 
they  grow  discouraged  and  feel  the  "  Burden  " 
is  ''  heavy  laden."  However,  as  more  of  their 
people  become  educated  and  Christianized,  it  is 
easier. 

A  young  graduate  from  the  Carlisle,  Pa.,  In- 
dian School,  United  States,  settled  with  his  fam- 
ily in  the  West,  industriously  built  a  neat  little 
cabin,  and  cultivated  his  few  acres  around  it, 
putting  into  practice  his  newly  acquired  knowl- 
edge of  white  man's  ways.  Just  as  his  crops 
were  ready  for  harvest,  a  swarm  of  his  relations 
in  grease  and  blanket  appeared  and  camped  down 
upon  his  place,  where  they  remained  until  they 
had  eaten  up  all  his  corn  and  everything  else  he 
had  so  carefully  raised.  He  even  had  to  hide  his 
cows  to  keep  them  from  being  stolen  when  those 
Indians  left. 

These  young  Christian  graduates  need  our 
prayers  as  they  start  out  in  life,  that  they  may 
be  brave  in  their  struggles  to  uplift  their  people 
and  establish  Christian  homes. 

The  first  trip  I  took  to  the  country  villages 
around  Tengchow  I  visited  a  Christian  home, 
where  many  heathen  people  crowded  in  from 
curiosity,  and  we  talked  the  Gospel  to  them  and 
tried  to  teach  them.  A  young  woman  came  in 
whose  face  was  very  thickly  powdered  and 
painted,  and  as  she  left  the  room  I  thought  I  had 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     147 

never  seen  a  more  heathen  countenance.  But  she 
listened  outside,  and  oh!  the  blessed  change  that 
took  place  when  the  Holy  Spirit  touched  her 
heart!  As  the  women  left,  I  was  about  to  go, 
too,  but  she  ran  in,  her  face  all  eager  and  alight, 
and  pressing  my  knees  with  both  her  hands,  said : 
"  Don't  go  yet !  You  must  teach  me.  I  will 
learn  anything  you  teach  me.  What  is  it  ?  Jesus 
loves  me?  I  love  Jesus!  "  Oh,  it  is  precious  to 
help  these  souls  to  know  Christ  their  Saviour. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

RETURN  TO  WEI  HSIEN 

FOR  nearly  a  year  I  did  country  work  in 
the  villages  around  Tengchow,  Feng  and 
my  Bible  woman  and  old  cook  Lii  faith- 
fully assisting.  Then  I  was  transferred  back  to 
Wei  Hsien,  my  old  camping  ground,  and,  strange 
to  say,  the  Chalfants  having  gone  to  America  on 
furlough,  I  occupied  their  house ;  and  so  "  I  lay 
me  down  in  peace  and  slept  "  in  the  very  spot 
from  which  we  were  driven  by  Boxers,  June 
25th,  19CX). 

"  In  this  place  will  I  give  peace,  saith  the 
Lord."  What  a  glorious  change  had  taken  place 
in  Wei  Hsien !  Twice  as  many  missionaries  now 
and  a  splendid  compound  of  fifty  acres  of 
ground  with  so  many  fine  new  buildings.  The 
college  with  its  bell  tower,  the  High  Schools, 
and  hospitals  all  so  flourishing,  and  the  mission- 
ary homes  so  complete.  The  prettiest  of  all  the 
homes,  however,  is  the  '*  Shadyside  Home,"  at 
the  south  end  of  the  compound.  Come  and  see. 
The  beautiful  broad  front  porch  with  the  frag- 
rant blossoming  vines  over  it  holds  so  many  peo- 
148 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     149 

pie,  and  the  Chinese  women  come  and  have  some 
happy  tea-drinkings  here.  The  little  children 
come,  too,  with  their  cute  little  gay  clothes,  and 
they  like  to  pick  the  pretty  posies  in  the  garden, 
and  after  the  cakes  and  many  bowls  of  tea  are 
enjoyed,  they  love  to  sing  their  hymns  of  praise, 
and  I  just  love  to  listen  to  them,  too. 

The  work  at  Wei  Hsien  is  all  one.  It  is  all 
the  precious  work  of  our  dear  Lord,  the  educa- 
tional, the  medical  and  the  evangelistic.  This 
splendid  college,  now  called  the  "  Shantung 
Christian  University,"  with  its  three  hundred  and 
more  students,  every  graduate  for  forty-seven 
years  a  Christian,  sends  out  trained  Christian 
men  all  over  China.  Each  year  the  demand  in- 
creases for  our  graduates.  The  college  draws 
its  students  from  the  High  School,  and  these 
High  Schools  in  turn  draw  their  students  from 
the  country  Christian  schools,  and  back  of  all 
these  schools  are  the  homes  of  the  Chinese  in 
the  country  villages,  where  the  evangelistic  mis- 
sionaries visit  and  do  Christian  work.  Most  im- 
portant is  it  then  to  keep  the  "  fountain  pure, 
that  the  streams  may  be  pure." 

My  work  is  the  evangelistic,  and  so,  four  days 
after  I  arrived  at  Wei  Hsien,  I  was  off  on  my 
wheelbarrow  to  the  country,  and  never  stopped 
until  January,  going  out  through  fifty-six  vil- 
lages, all  around  the  country,  holding  services  in 
the  home  of  every  Christian,  in  many  heathen 


150    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

homes,  in  the  Chapels,  and  in  the  streets,  and  had 
the  joy  of  seeing  thirty-two  famihes  destroy  their 
kitchen  gods  and  join  us  in  singing  ''  Praise  God 
from  Whom  All  Blessings  Flow ! "  while  we 
pasted  up  the  calendar  of  Christian  Sabbaths  and 
helped  them  to  set  up  the  worship  of  the  true 
God  in  their  homes. 

Oh,  what  a  welcome  I  received  from  these  dear 
country  people  whom  I  love  so  well!  What  a 
joy  to  see  the  native  Christians  again  and  to  find 
most  of  them  so  faithful,  teaching  others  the 
way  of  life.  It  was  very  cheering  to  find  some 
who  had  learned  their  first  prayer  from  me  be- 
fore the  riots  now  doing  faithful  work  as  Bible 
women.  That  is  what  makes  you  feel  it  is  worth 
while  to  come  to  China. 

In  one  village  I  visited  a  home  where  one  of 
our  school  girls  lived,  and  the  poor  girl  was  sad 
because  her  mother  told  her  it  was  a  "  waste  of 
time  "  to  go  to  church,  and  was  not  willing  for 
her  to  finish  her  course  in  the  Wei  Hsien  High 
School.  The  circumstances  in  the  little  home 
were  discouraging,  and  all  the  mother  needed 
was  encouragement  and  help  by  kind  words  and 
counsel.  After  a  little  service  in  her  home,  the 
whole  family  came  out  to  the  moonlight  evening 
prayer-meeting  and  were  blessed.  The  father 
and  mother  both  died  soon  after  that  meeting 
when  they  had  renewed  their  love  to  God;  the 
daughter  has  graduated  from  our  High  School, 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     151 

has  done  good  work  as  a  teacher,  and  is  happily 
married  to  a  Christian  teacher,  a  graduate  of 
the  "  Shantung  Christian  University." 

In  another  village  I  found  one  of  our  dear  lit- 
tle school  boys  had  upset  a  lamp  and  burnt  his 
face  badly.  Before  I  came  a  stupid  Chinese  doc- 
tor (  ?)  had  smeared  the  poor  child's  face  with  a 
thick  coating  of  black  stuff,  boiled  bark  of  a  tree. 
It  was  pitiful  to  see  the  little  fellow  as  he  put  his 
hands  together  to  salute  me.  All  you  could  see 
were  his  eyes  through  slits  made  in  that  awful 
black  mask  over  his  face,  while  the  pus  trickled 
and  dripped  from  the  cracks.  I  applied  a  thor- 
ough dose  of  vaseline  all  over  the  hardened  mix- 
ture on  the  child's  face  and  exhorted  the  old 
grandmother  not  to  let  anyone  rub  that  oint- 
ment off  and  gave  her  money  to  hire  a  barrow 
to  take  him  next  day  to  our  hospital.  The  little 
fellow  was  delighted  with  a  dolly  and  some  mar- 
bles I  gave  him,  and  he  repeated  the  Lord's 
Prayer  with  me.  I  saw  him  in  our  hospital  later 
on,  and  his  face  was  clear,  and,  under  treatment, 
soon  recovered.  The  doctor  said  he  would  have 
died  from  the  infection  of  that  awful  stuff  on 
his  face  if  he  had  not  come  when  he  did. 

Itinerating  is  very  necessary  for  reaching  those 
in  their  homes  who  cannot  afford  to  come  to  our 
compound  or  even  go  to  a  Bible  Class  in  the 
country  if  they  are  too  aged,  or  crippled,  or  blind. 
But  throughout  the  winter  I  have  many  Bible 


152    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

Classes  in  the  country,  the  women  coming  from 
miles  around  to  attend,  bringing  their  own  coarse 
bread  and  joining  in  the  expense  of  the  hot  soup. 
And  your  heart  goes  out  to  them,  too,  in  love 
when  you  see  them,  after  studying  all  day  pa- 
tiently, gather  for  their  evening  meal,  and  bow 
reverently  while  one  of  them  asks  the  blessing 
of  God  upon  their  food.  They  teach  us  lessons 
of  patience  and  gratitude  for  our  blessings. 

We  had  a  wonderful  revival  at  Wei  Hsien 
during  the  year  after  I  returned,  which  extended 
all  over  the  country.  It  began  in  quiet  prayer 
offered  by  native  Christians  and  foreign  mis- 
sionaries, definitely  pleading  for  God's  blessing 
upon  the  Christian  Women's  Conference  held  for 
ten  days  in  the  chapel.  Over  three  hundred 
Christian  women  gathered  in  from  over  two 
hundred  villages.  Some  aged  ones  had  walked 
75  li  to  attend.  At  the  opening  meeting  an  elder 
of  the  Old  China  variety  offered  prayer  and 
praised  God  that  so  many  of  these  ''  useless 
creatures "  had  come  to  be  instructed.  The 
women  did  not  resent  his  words,  being  raised  on 
that  kind  of  language,  but  I  tell  you  it  was  an 
eye-opener  to  hear  thei.  discussions!  If  some 
of  your  American  club  women  could  have  heard 
them,  they  would  have  been  surprised  and  de- 
lighted with  the  display  of  good  sense  and  ver- 
satility of  suggestions  and  ideas  coming  from 
those  humble  Christian  Chinese  women  in  their  * 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     153 

simple  toilettes  of  coarse  blue  calico.  They  dis- 
cussed "  Foot  Binding,"  "  Dedicating  Infants  to 
God,"  ''  Showing  Partiality  for  Boys  Over 
Girls,"  etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  while  the  missionary  ladies 
superintended  this  Conference  and  helped,  yet 
there  were  excellent  addresses  by  our  educated 
Christian  w^omen,  graduates  of  our  schools  and 
wives  of  the  college  professors.  At  the  first  sun- 
rise prayer-meeting  they  openly  confessed  all  sins 
to  God,  breaking  out  in  strong  pleading  and  cry- 
ing till  the  room  was  filled  with  the  sounds  of 
this  very  torrent  of  prayer,  and  the  blessing  we 
had  been  praying  for  came  to  all  present.  At  the 
close  of  this  Conference  the  Christian  women 
hastily  scattered  among  a  crowd  of  heathen 
women  who  were  going  to  burn  incense  in  a  tem- 
ple, and  they  did  splendid  work  in  teaching  them 
about  the  worship  of  the  true  God.  Then  they 
went  to  their  homes,  preaching  as  they  went, 
like  the  disciples  of  old,  and  telling  to  all  around 
what  they  had  learned  at  the  Conference.  Since 
then  I  have  kept  a  lookout  for  those  women  and 
found  that  nearly  all  were  true  to  their  promise 
to  unbind  their  feet,  and  they  have  influenced 
many  others  to  do  the  same,  and  study  the  Gos- 
pel. 

Then  came  Rev.  H.  A.  Johnston,  D.  D.,  from 
America,  and  after  some  earnest  prayer  services 
for  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  his  work, 
we  met  on  Sabbath  morning  in  the  Chapel,  which 


154     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

was  crowded  with  the  Chinese  students  and 
church  members,  as  well  as  heathen.  The  pres- 
ence of  the  Spirit  was  distinctly  felt  by  all.  No- 
body whispered.  No  one  coughed.  All  were 
deeply  moved.  In  the  afternoon  I  met  Mr.  Fitch, 
who  exclaimed :  "  Our  prayers  are  answered ! 
All  the  college  students  are  praying  and  crying! 
It's  wonderful!"  Later  on  the  same  was  re- 
ported of  the  girls  and  boys  in  the  High  Schools. 
After  another  day  the  beautiful  harvest  came; 
young  people  rising  for  prayer  and  saying  they 
wished  to  be  Jesus'  disciples,  asked  to  be  bap- 
tized. Everybody  went  around  with  happy,  shin- 
ing faces,  both  Chinese  and  foreigners.  The 
Lord  had  visited  us  with  a  marvelous  awakening 
such  as  was  never  known  before  in  the  history  of 
Wei  Hsien. 

The  tide  of  revival  spread  over  other  parts  of 
China.  In  Ts'ang  Chou,  a  large  city  south  of 
Tientsin,  the  Christian,  medical  students  held 
prayer  circles  among  the  soldiers  in  hospitals, 
chapels,  in  the  streets,  and  many  striking  testi- 
monies were  given.  One  said :  "  What  makes 
me  shiver  so  at  the  thought  of  all  my  sins  ?  "  An- 
other said :  "  I  see  two  faces ;  one,  the  face  of 
the  enemy,  full  of  baffled  rage,  and  the  other  the 
face  of  Christ,  full  of  pity  and  desire  to  bless. 
I  wish  to  bow  my  head  whilst  He  lays  His  hand 
on  me.  I  want  to  give  myself  to  Him  to  do  with 
me  as  He  will."    One  clutched  his  arm  and  said : 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     155 

"  Why  don't  you  pray  for  me?  I've  come  a  hun- 
dred li.  There  is  no  one  praying  for  me!" 
Prayer  brought  peace  to  all  these. 

I  wish  I  could  picture  to  you  more  clearly  how 
these  simple  people  hunger  after  the  Word  of 
God,  and  the  surprising  power  in  prayer,  and 
remarkable  wealth  of  illustrations.  It  is  good  to 
hear  in  belated  China  the  phenomena  of  electric- 
ity and  magnetism  used  to  explain  Christian 
truth.  An  elder,  condemning  unworthy  motives 
among  the  Chinese  w^orkers,  compared  those  who 
harbor  them  to  a  performing  bear.  "  His  master 
gives  him  a  tasty  morsel  at  the  end  of  every  trick. 
Like  him  are  preachers  who  only  preach  for 
money." 

Another  compared  Christ  and  Christians  to  a 
magnet  and  iron  filings.  The  nearer  the  filings 
are  to  the  magnet  the  closer  they  stick  to  each 
other;  and  the  further  they  are  removed  there- 
from, the  less  they  hold  together.  "  It  is  not  the 
noise  of  the  wdnd  in  the  wires  that  carries  the 
unseen  message ;  and  the  quiet  Voice  in  the  hearts 
of  men  is  better  than  many  sermons." 

Another  said  that  men  are  a  good  deal  like 
silkworms  bound  fast  in  cocoons  of  sin  which 
with  careful  toil  we  ourselves  spin  till  helpless  in 
the  meshes.  Like  them,  we  need  a  new  strong 
life  to  free  us  from  our  prison,  and  send  us  forth 
on  new-found  wings  to  enjoy  the  air  of  heaven. 

These  meetings  have  done  wondrous  good  in 


156    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

the  way  of  creating  mutual  trust  and  confidence 
and  fellow-working  between  Chinese  and  for- 
eigners. There  is  a  better  understanding  all 
around  and  new  life  in  churches,  schools,  and 
hospitals,  at  headquarters  and  far  afield. 


CHAPTER   XIX 
THE  PLAGUE!     UNDER  QUARANTINE! 

CHINA  has  had  some  awful  trials  in  the 
shape  of  floods,  famine,  plague  and  war 
in  recent  years. 

The  plague  came  within  60  li  of  our  compound 
two  years  ago.  In  one  village,  when  a  man  came 
home  from  a  visit,  all  his  friends  came  to  see 
him,  and  in  two  days  they  were  all  dead.  Many 
deaths  from  plague  occurred  among  the  Chi- 
nese, so  that  it  was  thought  best  to  quarantine 
our  Wei  Hsien  Station  for  a  while.  The  big 
gate  of  the  compound  was  shut  up,  and  a  little 
opening  only  was  used  when  anybody  knocked 
for  admittance. 

"Who  are  you?" 

"  Where  did  you  come  from  ?  " 

"  Is  anyone  sick  in  your  village  ?  " 

"  What's  the  matter  with  them?" 

These  questions  were  asked  by  the  gatekeeper 
if  anybody  outside  put  their  head  in  the  opening. 
If  it  happened  to  be  somebody  who  was  con- 
nected with  the  mission,  and  it  was  necessary  to 
let  them  in,  they  were  conducted  directly  from 
157 


158    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

the  gate  to  an  isolated  row  of  rooms  surrounded 
by  barbed  wire  and  a  locked  gate.  Food  and 
necessaries  were  sent  to  them  for  five  days  and 
the  doctor  examined  each  one  daily.  My  cook 
was  held  up  when  he  came  back  from  a  visit  to 
his  mother's  village,  and  the  next  day  I  took 
pity  on  him  and  sent  him  a  big  bunch  of  fire- 
crackers and  some  matches  to  amuse  himself 
with,  and  some  story  books.  All  the  rest  of  the 
boys  in  quarantine  were  glad  and  sent  me  word 
they  wanted  some  more  story  books.  All  the 
schools  were  disbanded  and  scholars  sent  home. 
Just  after  the  quarantine  began,  Dr.  Robert  Ma- 
teer  held  services  in  a  village  90  li  away,  and  as 
he  left,  the  people  said  they  were  "  all  praying 
for  Miss  Hawes  to  come  and  teach  the  Bible 
Class  for  women  promised  for  the  20th  of  the 
first  moon"  (February  18). 

As  there  was  no  plague  in  all  that  region,  I 
was  allowed  to  go,  after  an  application  of  the 
doctor's  innoculating  needle.  So  I  broke  quar- 
antine and  went  out  in  a  shenza,  as  glad  as  any 
bird  let  loose  from  a  cage.  It  is  not  in  the  blood 
of  a  free  Western  Pennsylvanian  to  stand  being 
shut  up  in  quarantine,  and  it  was  good  to  be  out 
among  the  people  again.  But  I  was  obliged  to 
stay  out  for  seven  weeks  before  that  quarantine 
was  lifted  at  Wei  Hsien.  Although  I  was  itiner- 
ating and  teaching  Bible  classes  all  around  in  a 
district  where  there  was  not  a  single  case  of 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     159 

plague;  in  some  places  the  people  had  not  even 
heard  of  the  plague ;  yet  it  was  best  to  take  proper 
precautions,  of  course,  in  a  large  compound  like 
ours,  so  I  stayed  out  and  continued  my  work. 
The  classes  were  all  very  encouraging,  and  I  felt 
repaid  for  the  inconvenience  of  my  money  and 
supplies  of  food  and  religious  literature  for 
classes,  etc.,  giving  out  too  soon.  We  had  the 
benefit  of  the  intelligent  help  of  the  High  School 
girls  and  college  teachers  in  all  these  villages,  as 
they  had  to  stay  home  till  the  Wei  Hsien  quar- 
antine was  off  and  the  educational  work  started 
up  again.  They  gave  their  services  entirely  free, 
saying  it  was  their  "  duty  to  help  the  Heavenly 
Father's  affairs."  In  one  village  the  people  knew 
I  was  coming,  and  they  had  whitewashed  and 
swept  out  the  chapel,  and  said :  '*  Stay  here  with 
us!  The  longer  the  better.  Stay  six  months 
and  we  will  be  glad."  They  brought  me  fresh 
eggs,  and  I  got  them  all  to  dress  up  in  their  best 
and  took  their  picture  with  my  kodak. 

We  visited  some  heathen  homes  where  we  had 
the  joy  of  seeing  the  family  destroy  their  kitchen 
god.  This  is  pasted  up  over  the  cooking  "  Koa  " 
— that  is,  on  the  wall  near  the  great  iron  bowl 
where  the  food  is  cooked.  This  god  presides 
over  the  household  affairs,  and  every  Chinese 
New  Year  he  is  worshipped  and  food  placed  be- 
fore him.  Then  he  is  torn  off  the  wall  and  burned 
up,   when  he   is   supposed  to  go  skyward  and 


160     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

make  a  good  report  of  the  family.  A  new  one 
is  then  pasted  up  who  takes  charge. 

The  legend  told  about  this  kitchen  god  is  as 
follows:  He  was  once  a  man  named  Chang, 
who  grew  tired  of  his  wife,  though  she  was  good 
and  virtuous,  so  he  put  her  out  and  married  an- 
other who  was  a  very  base  character  and  treated 
him  so  badly  he  was  obliged  to  leave  in  a  few 
months.  Meantime  his  first  wife,  when  cast  out, 
had  wandered  sadly  away  and  out  through  the 
open  country,  when  suddenly  she  saw  shining 
lumps  on  the  ground  before  her.  She  gathered 
as  many  of  them  as  she  could  carry  and  soon 
found  a  good  home  with  an  old  woman  who  lived 
alone,  for  the  shining  lumps  were  pure  gold. 

Then  one  day  along  came  a  beggar,  very 
hungry  and  weary,  whom  she  recognized  at  once 
as  her  husband,  but  he  did  not  recognize  her  until 
she  set  before  him  a  bowl  of  noodle  soup,  hot 
and  savory,  such  as  she  knew  he  liked.  Then  a 
large  brass  hairpin  fell  from  her  hair.  He  saw 
it  fall  and  was  so  overcome  with  shame  as  he 
saw  it  was  one  he  had  given  his  wife,  and  the 
thought  of  her  serving  him  after  he  had  cast  her 
off,  caused  him  to  faint  and  fall  into  the  fire. 
So  he  went  up  in  smoke,  and  has  ever  since  been 
worshipped  as  the  kitchen  god.  When  the  Chi- 
nese learn  to  love  the  Lord  Jesus,  these  ridiculous 
superstitions  and  false  gods  are  given  up,  and 
they  willingly  paste  up  the  calendar  of  Christian 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     161 

Sabbaths  instead  and  set  up  the  worship  of  the 
true  God. 

"  The  race  is  not  to  the  swift  nor  the  battle 
to  the  strong,  but  China  is  being  won  by  patient, 
constant,  quiet  working  with  these  Orientals." 

Dr.  Calvin  Mateer  lived  to  see  the  glorious 
fruits  of  his  self-sacrifice  and  toil  in  the  early 
days,  when  he  landed  in  China  after  a  fearfully 
trying  voyage  of  six  months  in  a  sailing  vessel 
which  carried  them  around  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  He  saw  the  splendid  gathering  of  three 
hundred  students,  the  college  which  was  once 
only  a  few  poor  little  street  boys  in  Tengchow, 
taught  in  his  home ;  and  as  he  preached  on  occa- 
sional Sabbaths  in  his  faultless  Chinese,  it  was 
no  wonder  his  eyes  were  sometimes  filled  with 
tears  of  joy  and  pride.  And  these  college  stu- 
dents, as  well  as  Chinese  officials,  and  the  college 
faculty  did  him  honor  on  his  seventieth  birthday 
at  the  Wei  Hsien  chapel  with  congratulatory  ad- 
dresses, and  many  handsomely  inscribed  souve- 
nirs, among  them  being  two  large  lacquered  in- 
scriptions on  wood  in  black  and  gold  which  are 
now  hung  in  the  college. 

Dr.  Mateer  quietlv  entered  Heaven  on  Sep- 
tember 28th,  1908. 


CHAPTER   XX 

THE  CHINESE  REVOLUTION 
ANCIENT  CHINA  WAKING  UP 

"O,  East  is  East  and  West  is  West,  and  never  the 
twain  shall  meet, 
Till  Earth  and  Sky  stand  presently  at  God's  great 

judgment  seat; 
But  there  is  neither  East  nor  West,  border  nor  breed 

nor  birth, 
When  two  strong  men  stand  face  to  face, 
Though  they  come  from  the  ends  of  the  earth." 

— Kipling. 

THIS  great  country,  which  is  now  in  the 
throes  of  establishing  itself  as  a  repub- 
lic, is  one  of  the  oldest  and  mightiest 
kingdoms  of  the  earth.  When  Moses  led  the 
Israelites  through  the  wilderness,  Chinese  laws 
and  literature  excelled  those  of  Egypt.  It  is 
said  that  "  Wing  Nang,"  an  emperor  of  China 
one  hundred  years  before  David's  time,  composed 
classics  which  are  still  committed  to  memory. 
"  While  Homer  was  composing  and  singing  the 
Iliad,  China's  blind  minstrels  were  praising  her 
ancient  heroes,  already  buried  thirteen  centuries. 
162 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     163 

Before  England  was  invaded  by  the  Norman 
conquerors,  China's  literature  was  fully  devel- 
oped. The  Chinese  invented  firearms  in  the  time 
of  England's  first  Edward,  and  the  art  of  print- 
ing five  hundred  years  before  Caxton  was  born. 
They  made  paper  A.  D.  150,  and  gunpowder 
about  the  dawn  of  the  Christian  era.  A  thou- 
sand years  ago  the  ancestors  of  the  present  Chi- 
nese sold  silks  to  the  Romans  and  dressed  in  these 
fabrics  when  the  inhabitants  of  the  British  Isles 
wore  coats  of  blue  paints  and  fished  in  willow 
canoes.  Her  great  wall  was  built  220  years  be- 
fore Christ  was  born  in  Bethlehem,  and  contains 
material  enough  to  build  a  wall  five  or  six  feet 
high  around  the  globe." 

In  May,  19 12,  Mrs.  R.  M.  Mateer  and  I  took 
the  railroad  from  Peking  to  Nan  K'ou,  and  after 
visiting  the  Ming  Tombs,  went  by  rail  through 
the  magnificent  scenery  of  the  Nan  K'ou  Pass 
to  a  litde  station  within  four  li  of  the  Great 
Wall.  This  railroad  joins  Peking  to  Kalgan, 
has  sharp  curves,  steep  grades,  long  tunnels,  and 
splendid  smooth  roadbed,  all  built  by  Chinese 
without  foreign  aid.  This  itself  shows  the  vast 
changes  taking  place  in  China.  Old  China  is 
gone  and  new  China  is  emerging.  In  1900  Rev. 
Mark  Williams,  with  his  wife  and  fellow  mis- 
sionaries, who  had  composed  the  last  company 
of  missionaries  that  sailed  around  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  to  China,  reaching  Kalgan  February 


164    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

21,  1866,  and  who  had  done  faithful  mission 
work  at  Kalgan  since  that  time,  escaped  across 
the  desert  of  Gobi  and  after  much  suffering  and 
untold  privations  reached  the  Russian  frontier 
about  two  months  from  their  leaving  Kalgan. 
In  1902  Rev.  Williams  and  wife  returned  to 
China  and  are  now  connected  with  the  work  in 
Tungchow. 

When  we  walked  from  the  railroad  station 
towards  the  Great  Wall,  a  fierce  wind  blew 
against  us  so  we  could  scarcely  step,  but  we  made 
our  way  up  the  beautiful  winding  roadways 
through  the  mountains,  turning  aside  for  the 
trains  of  camels  which  passed  us  by  in  haughty, 
picturesque  awkwardness,  and  we  were  content 
to  sit  and  rest  beside  the  Great  Wall  and  admire 
this  most  stupendous  piece  of  work  ever  built 
by  man.  It  is  well  called  one  of  the  wonders  of 
the  world.  It  took  eight  milHon  men  toiling  for 
eight  years  to  build  it.  It  is  1,250  miles  long 
and  35  feet  high,  and  its  course  is  irregular,  but 
chosen  without  regard  to  natural  obstacles,  ex- 
tending clear  across  the  whole  northern  limit  of 
the  huge  empire,  from  the  sea  to  the  farthest 
western  corner  of  the  province  of  Kan  Su.  The 
Mongolians  call  it  the  "  White  Wall,"  the  Chin- 
ese call  it  the  "  Ten-thousand-li-Wall,"  and  it  is 
the  most  gigantic  defensive  work  in  the  world. 

A  party  of  English  tourists  who  were  with  us 
on  our  train,  struggled  against  the  furious  winds 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     165 

and  held  on  to  their  hats  and  the  side  of  the  wall, 
their  clothing  fluttering  wildly,  as  they  climbed 
to  one  of  the  strong  turrets  to  get  a  view.  These 
turrets  were  for  the  Chinese  to  patrol  and  keep 
watch  against  the  Manchus;  for,  even  in  that 
early  time,  they  invaded  across  the  border  and 
robbed  the  Chinese  of  their  property  and  their 
women.  This  struggle  to  get  rid  of  the  Manchus 
is  no  new  thing. 

The  wall  is  built  double,  21  feet  thick,  faced 
with  huge  dressed  granite  blocks,  with  stone 
rubble  filled  in  between,  and  towers  at  frequent 
intervals.  The  top  of  the  wall  has  a  coping  each 
side  of  exceedingly  hard  sun-dried  brick.  No 
such  hard  bricks  are  made  now.  The  composi- 
tion must  have  been  a  secret  with  those  ancient 
workmen  which  they  have  not  handed  down. 
Our  tourist  friends  brought  us  specimens  of  it. 
Since  the  accession  of  the  Manchu  Dynasty  in 
1644,  the  wall  was  allowed  to  fall  into  decay, 
and  the  railroad  cuts  through  it  shamefully. 

But  it  is  still  standing  almost  entirely — a  last- 
ing monument  to  bear  witness  to  the  enterprising 
energy  of  the  Emperor  Chin  Shih  Hwang,  who 
became  king  in  246  B.  C,  when  only  thirteen 
years  of  age ;  but  he  was  such  a  hustler  he  made 
everybody  feel  his  influence.  He  chose  Si  An 
Fu  as  his  capital  and  built  there  a  magnificent 
palace,  which  was  the  wonder  and  admiration  of 
his     contemporaries.       He     constructed     roads 


166    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

through  the  empire,  formed  canals  and  erected 
many  pubHc  buildings.  He  marched  with  an 
army  of  300,000  men  against  the  Tartars  and 
completely  routed  them.  He  subdued  tribe  after 
tribe  of  rebels  till  peace  was  restored  and  then 
began  to  reform  the  empire  he  had  won. 

But  the  Chinese  hated  reforms  at  that  time, 
the  same  as  they  hated  the  reforms  of  the  poor 
Emperor  Kwang  Su  before  the  Boxer  riots.  The 
long  finger-nailed  fossils  of  school-teachers  were 
constantly  holding  up  the  heroes  of  the  feudal 
times  for  the  admiration  of  the  people,  and  the 
Emperor  Chin  Shih  Hwang  (or  Che  Hwang-te) 
determined  to  break  up  the  whole  ancient  feudal 
system,  ordered  the  destruction  of  all  books  re- 
ferring to  the  past  history  of  the  empire.  This 
decree  was  almost  universally  carried  out,  and 
many  scholars  were  killed  for  failing  in  obedi- 
ence to  it.  The  Chinese  show  you  today  a  vil- 
lage built  on  the  *'  Slope  of  the  Burning  Books," 
where  the  king  made  an  enormous  bonfire  of  the 
old  Confucian  books,  and  then  made  a  deep  pit 
where  about  three  hundred  luckless  school- 
teachers were  buried  alive  to  their  necks  and 
heavy  chariots  driven  over  their  heads. 

He  could  not,  however,  burn  up  the  tablets  of 
memory,  and  therefore  many  of  these  ancient 
writings  were  reproduced  from  memory  and  cut 
in  stone  which  no  fire  could  burn.  Also  many 
books  were  hidden  in  walls  and  preserved.    The 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     167 

Great  Wall  was  begun  under  this  king's  super- 
vision, but  he  died  before  its  completion. 


BRIEF  STATEMENT  OF  EVENTS  PRIOR  TO 
REVOLUTION 

From  the  failure  of  the  Boxer  movement,  the 
Empress  learned  at  a  bitter  cost  some  much- 
needed  lessons  and  began  issuing  reform  edicts, 
showing  entirely  new  policy,  and  sincerely  striv- 
ing to  establish  her  popularity  and  pacify  the 
people  at  large ;  but  for  all  that,  she  remained  to 
the  end  faithful  in  her  affection  for  the  Boxer 
leaders,  and  to  the  last  she  never  failed  to  praise 
their  loyalty  to  her  person  and  the  patriotic  brav- 
ery of  their  attempt  to  expel  the  foreigner.  But 
she  was  forced  to  acknowledge  that  until  China 
should  be  strong  enough,  all  anti-foreign  pro- 
ceedings must  be  suppressed.  It  is  said  that  "  so 
masterly  were  her  methods  of  dealing  with  the 
necessities  of  the  situation,  and  so  forcibly  did 
the  style  and  arguments  of  her  decrees  appeal 
to  the  literati,  that  they  carried  very  general  con- 
viction. Even  the  most  bigoted  Confucianists 
were  won  by  her  subtle  suggestions  as  to  what 
would  have  been  the  attitude  of  the  Sage  himself 
if  confronted  by  such  problems  as  the  Nation 
had  now  to  face."  Her  edicts,  issued  from  Si- 
An-Fu  before  her  return  to  Peking,  show  that 
she  realized  clearly  the  dangers  which  threatened 


168    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

the  Manchu  rule.  A  decree  was  also  issued  in 
the  name  of  the  Emperor,  a  pathetic  admission 
of  the  Throne's  guilt,  a  plea  for  the  sympathy 
of  his  people,  and  an  exhortation  to  return  to 
ways  of  wisdom.    It  concludes : 

"  We,  the  lord  of  this  Empire,  have  failed  ut- 
terly in  warding  off  calamities  from  our  people, 
and  we  should  not  hesitate  for  one  moment  to 
commit  suicide,  in  order  to  placate  our  tutelary 
deities  and  the  gods  of  the  soil,  but  we  cannot 
forget  that  duty  of  filial  piety  and  service  which 
we  owe  to  our  sacred  and  aged  mother,  the  Em- 
press Dowager." 

Prince  Ching  and  his  colleagues  presented  these 
various  utterances  from  the  Throne  to  the  re- 
spective Powers,  who  assured  the  advisers  of  the 
Empress  and  Emperor  of  their  personal  safety. 
Then  the  viceroys  and  high  officials  of  the  Prov- 
inces united  in  a  memorial  urging  the  court  to 
return  to  Peking.  Before  coming  to  a  decision 
to  return,  however,  the  Empress  required  to  be 
fully  assured  that  the  foreign  Powers  would  not 
insist  on  her  abdicating  the  supreme  power  as 
one  of  the  conditions  of  peace.  She  would  only 
return  if  guaranteed  the  full  dignity  and  power 
of  her  former  position.  She  was  delighted  to 
receive  the  good  news  that  her  treasure  vaults  in 
the  capital  had  not  been  plundered  by  the  for- 
eign troops.  She  decided  to  return  as  quickly 
as  possible  to  superintend  its  removal  before  any 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     169 

stealing  by  the  eunuchs  should  occur.  On  the 
20th  of  October,  1901,  the  long  procession,  com- 
posing the  Imperial  Court,  started  from  the  an- 
cient capital.  The  return  to  Peking  by  rail  was 
in  striking  contrast  to  the  hurried  flight  in  carts 
which  entailed  squalor  and  privations. 

The  Peace  Protocol  was  signed.  The  great 
Li  Hung  Chang,  who  had,  by  his  knowledge  of 
foreign  affairs  and  ability  in  negotiations,  been 
of  great  service  to  the  Empress,  died  before  she 
arrived  in  Peking.  The  court  travelled  for  the 
first  time  in  its  history  by  train.  They  had  trav- 
elled in  chairs  and  official  carts  to  Cheng-ting-fu, 
and  they  enjoyed  the  luxuriously  appointed  draw- 
ing-room cars  provided  for  their  comfort.  The 
Empress  arrived  at  the  station  two  hours  before 
the  train  was  due  to  start  and  personally  super- 
vised the  loading  of  the  court's  vast  quantity  of 
baggage  and  effects,  and  gave  the  engineer-in- 
chief  no  rest  until  he  had  loaded  carefully  and 
sent  off  four  freight  trains  of  her  stuff.  She 
presented  $5,000  for  distribution  among  the  Eu- 
ropean and  Chinese  employees  of  the  railroad 
line,  and  expressed  great  satisfaction  with  her 
first  journey  by  rail. 

On  the  way  the  high  Chinese  officials  who 
travelled  in  the  first-class  carriage  between  the 
Emperor's  special  car  and  that  of  the  Empress, 
felt  crowded  and  secured  an  extra  car  from  the 
railway  officials,  but  Her  Majesty  was  not  pleased 


170    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

and  ordered  it  removed,  so  Yuan  Shih  K'ai  and 
his  fat  colleagues  had  to  squeeze  back  into  their 
same  old  car  again. 

Space  forbids  details  of  the  court's  return  and 
the  subsequent  ruling  of  the  Empress  Dowager. 
The  Emperor  continued  a  prisoner  in  his  palace 
and  appeared  to  those  who  saw  him  as  a  drugged 
man,  wearing  a  look  of  deep  despair.  The  Em- 
press Dowager  appointed  Prince  Ch'un  as  Re- 
gent and  P'u  Yi,  his  son,  as  Emperor  of  China. 
He  is  known  as  "  His  Majesty  Hsuan  Tung." 

Emperor  Kwang  Hsu,  although  very  ill,  was 
still  conscious  when  Prince  Ching  told  him  of 
these  appointments,  and  said :  "  Would  it  not 
have  been  better  to  appoint  an  adult  ?  No  doubt, 
however,  the  Empress  Dowager  knows  best." 
The  infant  King  was  brought  into  the  palace  two 
hours  later  and  shown  to  the  Emperor  and  Em- 
press Dowager.  The  next  day  Kwang  Hsu 
wrote  the  following  dying  statement :  "  We  were 
the  second  son  of  Prince  Ch'un  when  the  Em- 
press Dowager  selected  us  for  the  Throne.  She 
has  always  hated  us,  but  for  our  misery  of  the 
past  ten  years.  Yuan  Shih  K'ai  is  responsible 
(and  one  other).  When  the  time  comes  I  desire 
that  Yuan  be  summarily  beheaded." 

All  readers  of  Chinese  history  are  aware  of 
the  circumstances  referred  to  in  the  dying  King's 
statement.  Influenced  by  the  unprincipled  offi- 
cial, K'ang  Yu  Wei,  the  Emperor  was  persuaded 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     171 

that  the  Empress  Dowager  was  the  chief  ob- 
stacle to  China's  reform,  her  influence  being 
really  the  prime  factor  in  the  country's  corrup- 
tion and  lethargy.  "  Why  should  she  be  per- 
mitted to  waste  millions  of  Government  funds 
yearly  in  the  keeping  up  of  extravagance  at  the 
Summer  Palace,  etc."  He  advised  the  Emperor 
to  surround  her  residence,  seize  her  person,  and 
confine  her  for  the  rest  of  her  days  on  a  certain 
small  island  in  the  Palace  lake.  Then  he  should 
issue  a  decree,  telling  of  her  misdeeds,  and  de- 
claring his  intention  of  assuming  supreme  rule, 
without  permitting  her  any  part  in  the  Govern- 
ment. The  Emperor,  led  into  this  scheme  of 
K'ang  Yu  Wei's,  knew  that  to  insure  success  he 
must  dispose  of  Jung  Lu,  who  had  command  of 
the  troops  in  Chihli  and  who  would  never  con- 
sent to  helping  the  cause  against  the  Empress 
Dowager. 

Then  he  sent  for  Yuan  Shih  K'ai,  who  dis- 
cussed reform  matters  with  him,  and  the  Em- 
peror was  convinced  of  his  loyal  support.  His 
Majesty,  seated  for  the  last  time  on  the  great 
lacquered  Dragon  Throne,  and  in  the  light  of  the 
early  morning,  taking  every  precaution  that  the 
conversation  be  not  overheard,  told  Yuan  Shih 
K'ai  the  details  of  the  commission  with  which 
he  had  decided  to  entrust  him.  He  was  to  go  to 
Tientsin,  put  Jung  Lu  to  death,  and  then  return 
at  once  to   Peking  with  the  troops  under  his 


112    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

command  to  seize  and  imprison  the  Empress 
Dowager. 

Yuan  went  to  Tientsin,  and  instead  of  killing 
Jung  Lu,  betrayed  to  him  the  whole  plot  and 
brought  on  the  Emperor's  misery.  The  Empress 
Dowager,  informed  by  Jung  Lu,  wrested  the 
reins  of  government  from  the  Emperor  and 
made  him  a  prisoner.  She  advanced  Yuan 
Shih  K'ai  from  being  Governor  of  Shantung  to 
Viceroy  of  Chihli  and  from  one  high  office  to 
another  until  he  became  Grand  Councillor  to  the 
Throne. 

The  secrets  of  the  Manchu  Palaces  will  never 
be  fully  known,  but  the  Emperor  Kwang  Hsu 
died  a  few  hours  after  writing  his  last  will  as 
given  above,  and  the  Empress  Dowager  expired 
two  days  later,  after  ordering  the  proclamation 
of  the  new  Emperor,  and  writing  her  own  vale- 
dictory decree. 

The  Prince  Regent  entirely  failed  to  satisfy 
the  Chinese  people,  and  it  is  said  commonly  now 
of  him,  in  their  concise  way  of  judging  char- 
acter : 

"  Great  affair — great  blunder. 
Small  affair — small  blunder. 
No  affair — no  blunder." 

No  matter  what  he  did,  it  was  always  wrong, 
they  thought. 

The  baby  King  was  homesick,  at  first,  and 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     17S 

dressed  in  his  little  yellow  silk  robes  of  state, 
cried  for  his  mother,  and  for  '*  Mao !  Mao !  " 
Supposing  he  wanted  a  cat  (one  meaning  of  the 
word  "mao"),  the  country  was  searched  for  a 
suitable  cat  to  please  the  '*  Son  of  Heaven,"  but 
no,  that  was  not  what  he  wanted.  At  last  a  cer- 
tain playmate  named  "  Mao  "  was  brought,  and 
then  the  King  was  all  smiles,  for  oh,  that  was 
what  he  wanted !  The  child  Mao,  being  only  of 
the  common  herd,  however,  it  was  necessary  to 
give  his  father  a  title  to  elevate  him  to  a  rank 
worthy  of  being  companion  to  the  Imperial 
infant. 

However,  the  country  became  more  and  more 
unsettled,  and  even  while  Yuan  Shih  K'ai  was 
high  in  power  with  the  Manchus,  the  great  dip- 
lomat was  in  secret  communication  with  the  Rev- 
olutionaries. The  Prince  Regent,  loyal  to  the 
Emperor's  request,  had  sent  away  Yuan  Shih 
K'ai,  not  daring  to  behead  him  because  of  Yuan's 
great  popularity;  but  when  affairs  grew  so  seri- 
ous. Yuan  was  urged  to  return  to  Peking,  as  he 
was  the  only  man  judged  capable  of  controlling 
affairs;  and  under  his  masterly  management, 
while  the  royal  family  was  protected,  the  way 
was  gradually  opened  for  the  establishment  of 
the  new  "  Chinese  Republic,"  and  by  the  wise 
consent  of  all  concerned,  he  became  the  first 
President  under  the  new  regime. 

As  a  proof  that  the  Chinese  were  preparing 


174.     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

long  ago  for  this  Revolution,  Rev.  McOwan,  of 
the  Anglican  Mission,  says  he  had  an  interview 
with  Dr.  Sun  Yat  Sen  five  years  ago  in  Japan. 
Dr.  Sun  was  there,  as  a  price  was  upon  his  head 
in  China  (50,000  taels).  He  unfolded  a  map 
and  showed  the  missionary  all  the  plans  then 
made  for  carrying  on  the  Revolution,  and  said: 
"  Five  years  from  now  there  will  be  something 
doing  in  China.  You  will  see!  "  Sure  enough, 
those  very  plans,  with  very  few  changes,  were 
carried  out  in  the  Revolution. 

Dr.  Sun  Yat  Sen  (or  "Sun  Wen,"  as  the 
Chinese  like  to  call  him)  was  born  of  humble 
parents  in  Canton.  He  spent  part  of  his  youth 
in  Honolulu,  but  returned  to  Canton,  and  be- 
came a  convert  and  worker  in  the  London  Mis- 
sionary Society,  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Cantlie  as  his 
best  friends.  He  had  attended  an  Episcopal 
school  in  Honolulu,  but  completed  his  education 
in  Hong  Kong  and  Canton  mission  schools,  and 
studied  medicine  under  Dr.  Cantlie  and  also  un- 
der Dr.  J.  G.  Kerr,  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission. 
He  became  a  Christian  and  was  baptized  and 
received  into  the  church  by  Dr.  C.  R.  Hager. 
When  he  was  discovered  as  identified  with  the 
Revolutionary  movement,  he  fled,  and  was  an 
exile  with  a  price  upon  his  head.  He  occupied 
his  time  influencing  the  Chinese  people  (whom 
he  saw  in  the  ports  of  Asia  outside  of  China), 
exhorting   them   individually,   and   in   crowded 


Dr.   Sun  Yat  Sen 
Chinese  Patriot 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     175 

houses,  to  be  patriotic,  and  collected  large  sums 
of  money  from  them,  as  well  as  obtaining  loans 
from  foreign  capitalists  to  help  the  revolution- 
ary movement,  and  was  in  constant  touch  with 
the  leaders  in  China  by  correspondence. 

During  the  writing  of  this  story  of  the  Revo- 
lution, it  was  my  privilege  to  meet  Mrs.  Saund- 
ers, a  beautiful  white-haired  English  missionary, 
mother  of  the  two  young  sister  martyrs  at  Ku- 
cheng  in  1895,  Eleanor  and  Elizabeth,  or,  as 
she  lovingly  called  them,  ''  Nellie  "  and  "  Topsy." 
I  told  her  I  remembered  very  well  about  her  sor- 
row, and  also  how  she  had  disposed  of  her  prop- 
erty and  settled  her  affairs  in  Australia,  and 
sailed  for  China,  and  how  a  Chinese  teacher, 
struck  with  her  beautiful  Christian  spirit,  begged 
the  privilege  of  teaching  the  Chinese  language 
to  this  mother  who  had  come  to  his  country 
where  her  two  daughters  had  been  sacrificed,  to 
teach  the  Chinese  women  as  they  had  done. 

The  missionary  houses  in  the  hills  were  sud- 
denly surrounded  by  a  band  of  ruffians,  and 
eleven  foreign  missionaries,  including  Mrs. 
Saunders'  two  daughters,  were  murdered.  The 
little  Stewart  children  were  out  gathering  flow- 
ers in  the  woods  to  decorate  the  table  for  their 
baby  brother's  birthday,  and  so  escaped,  but 
"  Baby  Herbert "  became  a  martyr  and  cele- 
brated his  birthday  in  Heaven,  where  flowers 
never   fade.     Two   years   later,    Mrs.    Saunders 


176    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

sailed  for  China,  and  although  far  advanced  in 
life,  she  obtained  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  the 
language  to  take  a  part  in  the  work  among  the 
Chinese  women,  and  when  a  number  of  Manchu 
women,  during  the  Revolution,  fled  to  the  foreign 
missionaries  in  terror  of  their  lives,  Mrs.  Saund- 
ers, with  others,  gave  them  refuge. 

These  Manchu  women,  who  had  always  been 
accustomed  to  a  life  of  ease  and  luxury,  served 
by  the  Chinese  peasant  women,  suddenly  found 
themselves  helpless;  and,  under  the  protection 
of  the  missionaries,  have  been  obliged  to  work 
for  their  living. 

Mrs.  Saunders  said :  "  We  will  give  you  the 
rooms  to  live  in,  but  we  cannot  give  you  money 
or  food." 

Then  she  got  them  in  the  way  of  weaving 
cloth,  which  they  can  do  most  beautifully  and 
are  able  to  support  themselves.  When  I  arrived 
in  Shanghai,  Mrs.  Saunders  was  also  there  for 
the  purpose  of  procuring  more  looms  and  thread 
for  these  Manchu  refugees. 

At  the  Missionary  Home  where  we  met,  she 
told  me  the  story  of  Dr.  Sun  Yat  Sen.  Said 
she: 

"  Dr.  Sun  is  the  purest  patriot  in  history.  He 
put  aside  all  personal  ambition  and  self-interests 
for  the  good  of  his  country." 

She  told  me  how  Sun  Wen  lived  in  London 
with  Dr.  Cantlie,  and  one  Sabbath  morning  he 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    177 

started  for  church  a  little  early,  with  his  prayer- 
book  in  his  hand,  when  he  wandered  into  a  street 
near  the  Chinese  Legation.  Two  of  his  country- 
men met  him  and  began  a  friendly  conversation 
and  invited  him  to  take  a  rest  in  their  quarters 
as  it  was  still  early  for  service,  and  he  willingly 
accepted.  These  men  were  spies,  and  thus  in- 
veigled Sun  into  the  Chinese  Legation,  where 
they  immediately  closed  and  barred  the  door,  and 
told  Sun  that  he  was  under  arrest  and  that  he 
would  be  secretly  taken  out  of  London  and 
back  to  China.  He  was  confined  in  an  upper 
room  until  arrangements  could  be  made  for  the 
official  kidnapping.  Looking  out  the  high  win- 
dow, he  could  see  below  and  he  tried  to  get 
word  to  his  friends  by  dropping  down  messages, 
weighted  with  coins,  but  his  little  notes  were 
captured  and  destroyed,  and  his  window  nailed 
up.  He  tried  to  persuade  the  old  man  who  car- 
ried up  coals  to  take  a  note  from  him  to  Dr. 
Cantlie,  but  was  always  refused. 

Then  he  prayed  and  received  deliverance.  On 
Friday,  October  i6th,  his  despair  was  complete, 
and  he  said :  "  Only  by  prayer  to  God  could  I 
gain  any  comfort,  but  I  shall  never  forget  the 
feeling  of  calmness,  hopefulness  and  confidence 
that  assured  me  my  prayer  was  heard,  and  it 
filled  me  with  hope  that  all  would  yet  be  well." 
j  Rising  from  his  knees,  the  old  man  entered 
the  room,  and  said  he  would  take  his  note  to  Dr. 


178    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

Cantlie,  which  he  concealed  in  the  dust  of  the 
coal  scuttle.  Although  late  at  night,  Dr.  Cantlie 
very  soon  roused  Lord  Salisbury  with  the  start- 
ling news  that  Sun  was  a  prisoner  in  the  Chi- 
nese Legation  and  in  danger  of  being  deported  to 
China  to  be  decapitated.  The  Chinese  Legation 
were  at  once  accused  of  breaking  English  law 
and  ordered  to  deliver  up  the  prisoner  Sun,  which 
they  did  through  the  back  door  to  save  their 
"  face." 

When  the  Revolution  broke  out,  Dr.  Sun 
promptly  returned  to  China,  and  was  at  once 
chosen  their  civil  leader.  He  accepted  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  new  Republic  December  29th,  191 1, 
but  declared  that  he  considered  himself  merely 
a  Provisional  President.  When  the  Manchus  ab- 
dicated, February  12th,  and  he  was  assured  of 
the  loyalty  of  Yuan  Shih  K'ai  to  the  Republic, 
Sun  resigned.  It  was  a  memorable  meeting  of 
the  National  Assembly  at  Nanking  when  his 
resignation  was  accepted  and  Yuan  Shih  K'ai 
elected  as  President  of  the  United  Republic,  Feb- 
ruary 15th,  19 1 2.  The  new  president  was  for- 
mally inaugurated  on  March  loth  with  impres- 
sive ceremonies.  His  oath  of  office  read  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  Since  the  Republic  has  been  established, 
many  works  have  now  to  be  performed.  I  shall 
endeavor  faithfully  to  develop  the  Republic,  to 
sweep  away  the  disadvantages  attached  to  abso- 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    179 

lute  monarchy,  to  observe  the  laws  of  the  Con- 
stitution, to  increase  the  welfare  of  the  country, 
to  cement  together  a  strong  nation  which  shall 
embrace  all  five  races.  When  the  National  As- 
sembly elects  a  permanent  President,  I  shall  re- 
tire.    This  I  swear  before  the  Chinese  Republic." 

Mr.  E.  J.  Dingle,  in  his  ''  China's  Revolution," 
says :  "  Yuan's  striking  personality,  his  military 
genius,  his  character,  the  magnetic  attraction  he 
has  for  the  foreigners  around  him,  must  have 
had  much  to  do  in  shaping  events.  But  how 
great  a  part  he  has  played  in  the  Revolution  yet 
remains  to  be  revealed  concerning  the  greatest 
man  perhaps  in  the  Chinese  Empire  of  to-day." 
Then  hints  that  Admiral  Sah  in  retiring  down- 
river with  his  fleet,  instead  of  annihilating  the 
routed  Republicans  at  Kilometre  Ten,  and  other 
movements,  were  due  to  Yuan's  orders. 

**  This  Revolution  has  brought  into  being  a 
new  China,  and  no  one  who  watches  China  to- 
day can  fail  to  see  in  all  parts  of  the  Empire 
that  are  known  to  civilization  much  which  forms 
a  good  augury  in  the  Revolution,  the  genuine- 
ness of  a  common  impulse,  an  impulse  linked  with 
a  dogged  persistence  of  effort  to  get  out  of  the 
shallows  of  the  past  into  the  depths  of  the  future, 
— a  glimpse  beyond  the  garden  and  cloister  of 
Chinese  antiquity  into  the  wonderful  golden  age, 
if  the  Revolutionary  party  is  blessed." 

He  also  refers  to  Tuan  Fang,  the  Tartar  Gen- 


180    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

eral,  who  as  Governor  of  Shensi  in  July,  1900, 
issued  proclamations  to  the  province,  in  which 
he  earnestly  warned  the  people  to  abstain  from 
acts  of  violence.  These  documents  were  un- 
doubtedly the  means  of  saving  the  lives  of  many 
missionaries  and  other  foreigners  isolated  in  the 
interior.     One  proclamation  says: 

"  I  have  never  for  a  moment  doubted  that  you 
men  of  Shensi  are  brave  and  patriotic  and  that 
you  would  fight  nobly  for  your  country.  I  would 
have  you  observe,  however,  that  our  enemies  are 
foreign  troops  who  have  invaded  the  metropoli- 
tan province,  and  not  the  foreign  missionaries 
who  reside  in  the  interior.  If  the  Throne  orders 
you  to  take  up  arms  in  the  defence  of  your  coun- 
try, then  I,  as  Governor  of  this  province,  will 
surely  share  in  that  glory.  But  if  on  your  own 
account  you  set  forth  to  slay  a  handful  of  harm- 
less and  defenceless  missionaries,  you  will  un- 
doubtedly be  actuated  by  the  desire  for  plunder, 
there  will  be  nothing  noble  in  your  deed,  and 
your  neighbours  will  despise  you  as  surely  as  the 
law  will  punish  you." 

Tuan  Fang,  the  foreigners'  friend,  was  de- 
capitated during  the  Revolution,  it  is  said,  by  his 
own  men  in  Sze-Chuen. 

'*  With  the  putting  down  of  the  Boxer 
movement  and  the  generous  treatment  meted 
out  to  China  by  the  foreign  Powers  came 
the    consciousness    of    her    real    needs.      From 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    181 

this  time  China  put  her  youth  to  school  with  the 
'  foreigner.'  Students  went  abroad  by  thou- 
sands, and  from  the  contact  with  the  outside 
world  and  a  comparative  study  of  empires  came 
the  awakened  and  trained  mind.  It  is  justly 
charged  that  schools  and  colleges  have  created 
in  the  Chinese  mind  a  desire  to  do  away  with 
make-believe  and  insincerity.  Well-wishers  of 
China  will  welcome  every  honest  attempt  to  help 
the  student-life,  and  lead  them  to  follow  out  in 
life  the  policy  dictated  to  them  by  the  manifold 
call  of  duty  of  their  enlightened  conscience. 
China  will  welcome  the  efforts  of  the  Occident 
to  lead  her  into  the  ways  of  higher  education. 
Statesmen-missionaries  have  always  advocated 
education  as  the  surest  means  of  reaching  the 
heart  of  the  nation;  for  the  other  classes  look  to 
the  student  class  for  guidance,  and  if  one  can 
win  the  heart  of  the  student,  the  ear  of  the  people 
is  gained  also.  China  needs  her  great  force  of 
students,  needs  men  of  initiative,  men  who  can 
lead,  men  who  have  gained  from  education  a 
broader  outlook."  To  supply  this  need  we  have 
our  Shantung  Christian  University  at  Wei  Hsein 
and  many  other  Christian  colleges  and  schools 
all  over  China. 


182    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

HISTORICAL    VERSES    REVOLUTIONARY 

By  Burgoyne  in  Pittsburg  Chronicle 

"  Now  what  do  you  think 
Of  the  wide-awake  Chink, 
Who  is  putting  the  Sovereign 
Power  on  the  blink? 

From  his  very  long  nap 
This  remarkable  chap 
Woke  up  lately  and  girded 
His  loins  for  a  scrap. 

So  he  cut  off  his  queue 
And  with  no  more  ado 
He  proceeded  to  hammer 
The  ruling  Manchu. 

For  the  Manchu,  you  see. 
Though  on  top  of  the  tree 
Is  by  no  means  a 
Really  and  truly  Chinee. 

And  for  many  a  day 

His  tyrannical  sway 

Has  oppressed  the  true  Chinks 

In  a  ruinous  way. 

And  till  now  we've  not  heard 
That  it  ever  occurred 
To  the  victims  to  kick 
Which  was  very  absurd. 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     183 

Hence  to  see  them  get  wise 
And  like  Trojans  arise 
And  strike  hard  for  their  rights 
Is  a  pleasant  surprise. 

And  more  wonderful  yet 
Is  their  purpose  to  get 
A  republic  like  ours 
When  the  throne  they  upset. 

And  they'll  do  it,  no  doubt. 
Since  their  warriors  stout 
Rarely  fail  to  put  royalty's 
Forces  to  rout. 

Scarce  a  day  passes  by 
But  they  made  the  fur  fly 
In  some  town  with  a  name 
Like  a  canine  Ki-yi. 

Hence  the  Manchus  hard  hit 
Took  a  penitent  fit 
And  they  offer  on  any 
Old  terms  to  submit. 

But  in  vain  is  their  plea 
Since  the  Heathen  Chinee 
Has  his  eyes  open  now 
And  knows  how  to  be  free. 

And  the  climax  to  cap 
We  shall  soon  see,  mayhap, 
The  Republic  of  China 
Appear  on  the  map. 


184    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

A   SOLILOQUY   BY  THE   BABY  EMPEROR 
(Apropos  of  Washington's   Birthday,  Feb.  22,   1912) 

Tune :  "  When  the  Flag  is  full  of  Stars." 

— VanDyke. 

"  'Tis  fine  to  rule  a  monarchy,  and  do 
Just  as  you  please, 
No  matter  if  you  stretch  a  point, 
To  get  your  annual  squeeze. 

So  China  with  us  Manchus, 
Used  to  have  a  humble  share. 
But  now  they  think  they've  had 
Enough  of  our  paternal  care. 

Refrain  : 

So  it's  back  again,  Oh !  back  again 

To  Ewo  Park  for  me. 

I'll  only  need  four  million  taels 

To  buy  my  toys  and  tea. 

You  may  talk  about  George  Washington 

And  his  land  beneath  the  stars. 

But  I'd  rather  be  in  China, 

Though  the  flag  is  full  of  bars. 

Then  soon  the  bombs  and  shells  began 

To  fly  as  thick  as  hail; 

My  yellow  dragon  got  so  scared 

He  couldn't  wag  his  tail. 

I  wrote  a  solemn  edict  out 

And  prayed  for  pardon  kind, 

But  though  I  wept  and  said  *  Be  good/ 

They  simply  would  not  mind. 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    185 

A  *  Father  of  his  country ' 

You  may  choose  for  Uncle  Sam, 

But  don't  forget  my  title,  for 

A  'Wan  Sui  Yeh '  I  am  (Ancient  Father). 

My  people  want  a  substitute. 

Their  claims  I'll  not  deny. 

But  give  them  now  a  President 

Like  staunch  Yuan  Shih  K'ai. 

So  now  I'll  have  a  holiday, 

With  nothing  else  to  pan  (manage), 

But  romp  about  from  noon  till  night 

And  grow  to  be  a  man. 

But  I  don't  want  a  hatchet  sharp 

To  hack  a  cherry  tree. 

To  burn  incense  for  ancient  Kings 

Is  fun  enough  for  me. 

Refrain  for  last  verse. 

So,  I'm  back  again, 

Oh,  back  again 

In  Ewo  Park  to  play, 

My  summer  Palace  all  fixed  up 

Will  last  for  many  a  day. 

You  may  talk  about  George  Washington 

And  his  land  beneath  the  stars, 

But  I'm  glad  to  be  in  China, 

Where  the  flag  is  full  of  bars." 


CHAPTER    XXI 


HOW   THE   REVOLUTION    AFFECTED   MISSIONS 
IN  SHANTUNG 


THE  American  Minister  at  Peking  sent 
through  the  various  consuls  a  circular  to 
Americans  living  in  the  interior,  stating 
that  "  while  both  parties  in  the  Revolution  are 
friendly  to  foreigners,  the  troubles  may  lead  to 
the  stirring  up  of  the  lawless  elements  who 
could  not  be  controlled."  He  therefore  urged 
all  Americans  to  go  to  the  coast,  especially 
women  and  children. 

We,  at  Wei  Hsien,  felt,  however,  that  as  we 
are  situated  near  the  German  railroad,  and  every- 
thing was  peaceful  apparently  in  Shantung,  and 
that  it  would  make  the  Chinese  who  are  friendly 
unnecessarily  suspicious  of  foreigners  if  we 
should  all  leave ;  it  would  expose  a  valuable  mis- 
sion plant  to  looting  and  probably  destruction, 
and  stir  up  a  lawless  element  to  make  trouble 
where  none  existed.  We  had  about  450  students 
on  the  place  whose  homes  are  widely  scattered  in 
the  country  round  about,  and  we  could  easily 
get  warning  of  any  trouble  brewing  against  us. 
So  all  our  school  work  went  on  as  usual,  except 
186 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     187 

in  the  Girls'  School,  where  it  was  thought  best 
not  to  have  a  spring  term,  but  let  the  girls  remain 
in  their  village  homes.  So  there  was  no  gradu- 
ating class  in  1912,  which  caused  a  shortage  in 
supply  of  teachers  for  our  Wei  Hsien  country 
girls'  schools,  as  well  as  for  the  schools  in  other 
places  in  Shantung  and  other  provinces.  But 
the  Wei  Hsien  girls'  school  was  opened  as  usual 
in  the  fall,  and  all  the  country  girls'  and  boys' 
schools  flourishing.  The  people  show  a  growing 
interest  in  their  girls,  spending  more  for  their 
education,  and  even  the  heathen  are  opening 
schools  for  girls,  one  being  established  in  An 
K'u  City  for  the  education  of  girls  in  that 
country. 

Despite  the  unsettled  times,  the  Boys'  Acad- 
emy was  kept  open,  and  twenty-one  boys  grad- 
uated, passed  the  Shantung  College  entrance  ex- 
aminations, and  entered  the  Arts  College  at  the 
New  Year.  President  Paul  D.  Bergen  says  that 
at  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution  the  work 
of  the  college  was  somewhat  disturbed,  but 
continued  without  interruption.  Many  of  the 
students  became  uneasy  when  rumours  became 
alarming,  feeling,  as  they  said,  that  it  was  not 
right  for  them  to  sit  quietly  at  their  books  when 
their  comrades  were  dying  in  the  cause  of  free- 
dom; accordingly,  all  who  wished  to  do  so  were 
given  permission  to  return  home.  Nearly  a  hun- 
dred took  advantage  of  this,  and  not  a  few  of 


188    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

them  enlisted  as  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary 
army  or  devoted  their  energies  to  some  other 
work  in  connection  with  the  cause  of  their 
country. 

It  was  touching  to  watch  the  patriotic  tide  ris- 
ing in  these  young  hearts,  even  though  it  some- 
times found  an  excessive  expression,  and  in  one 
or  two  instances  led  to  regrettable  collisions. 
The  graduating  class  numbered  thirty-two,  the 
largest  in  the  history  of  the  college.  As  in  for- 
mer years,  all  were  Christians,  and  are  now  en- 
gaged in  Christian  work.  Six  are  devoting  them- 
selves to  the  work  of  the  ministry  and  are  now 
studying  in  the  Union  Theological  Seminary  at 
Ch'ing  Chowfu,  under  charge  of  our  Presby- 
terian ministers;  Rev.  W.  M.  Hayes,  D.D.,  and 
Rev.  Wm.  P.  Chalfant,  D.D.,  with  Revs.  Bruce, 
Burt,  Nichols  and  Fisk  representing  the  English 
Baptist  part  of  the  Union  work. 

The  Shantung  Christian  University  embraces 
the  Arts  College  at  Wei  Hsien,  the  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Ch'ing  Chowfu,  and  the 
Union  Medical  College  at  Chinaufu.  The  gradu- 
ates from  these  three  institutions  are  to  be  found 
doing  splendid  work  and  are  in  great  demand 
all  over  China  in  every  province. 

When  the  Revolution  broke  out,  as  Rev.  Timo- 
thy Richard  of  the  Shanghai  Christian  Literary 
Society  expressed  it :  "  To  upset  a  Government 
that  had  lasted  250  years,  it  was  necessary  to 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     189 

strike  terror  somewhere.  This  the  Revolution- 
ists did  by  asking  the  officials  to  submit  to  the 
Revolution  or  be  bombed.  This  avoided  the 
wholesale  cruelty  of  general  looting,  burning, 
and  massacres  so  common  in  great  wars  and 
revolutions.  This  Revolution  was  a  marvelously 
bloodless  one. 

"  No  foreigners  were  touched  by  Revolution- 
aries. No  Chinese  who  submitted  were  molested. 
Even  the  Manchus,  whose  Government  was  up- 
set, were  well  treated  in  most  cases." 

The  Revolutionaries  sent  a  deputation  to 
Tsinanfu,  who  suddenly  entered  the  presence  of 
His  Excellency  Governor  Sun  Pao  Ch'i,  and  in- 
formed him  that  if  he  would  become  a  Revolu- 
tionary and  be  "  president  of  Shantung,"  he 
would  be  spared,  but  if  he  refused  to  leave  the 
Imperialists  and  become  a  Republican,  he  would 
be  a  dead  man  before  the  next  morning.  With- 
out further  details  of  facts.  Governor  Sun  de- 
cided to  keep  his  head  on  his  shoulders,  declared 
his  intention  of  being  a  Republican,  and  at  their 
meeting  on  November  13  consented  to  become 
"  President  of  the  independent  State  of  Shan- 
tung." 

He  had  to  submit  to  the  indignity  of  an  ad- 
visory council,  who  seized  the  Treasury  and  di- 
verted the  taxes  from  the  Manchu  Government 
to  the  use  of  their  own  province  in  the  support 
of  its  new  dignity.     However,  this  mad  action 


190    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

speedily  subsided,  and  Governor  Sun,  after  a  de- 
cent interval,  made  his  peace  with  the  authori- 
ties at  Peking,  was  allowed  to  retain  office,  with 
exhortation  to  do  better  in  future.  He,  how- 
ever, felt  he  had  "lost  face,"  and  soon  after 
retired  from  office. 

For  a  time  he  was  a  guest  at  our  Union  Medi- 
cal College  in  Tsinanfu.  A  telegram  had  been 
received  December  4th,  stating  that  2,000  Revo- 
lutionary soldiers  had  seized  the  rolling  stock  of 
the  Tientsin-Pukow  Railroad  at  Han-Chwang  on 
the  border  of  Kiangnan  and  Shantung,  and  were 
on  their  way  to  Tsinanfu.  Governor  Sun  sent  a 
letter  to  Dr.  J.  B.  Neal,  of  the  Presbyterian  Mis- 
sion, asking  if  he  would  prepare  a  room  in  the 
hospital  for  him,  as  he  wanted  to  come  in  for 
treatment.  A  second  letter,  December  5th,  stated 
that  he  had  been  hindered  by  public  business,  but 
on  December  6th  the  Governor  arrived  and  be- 
came a  guest  at  the  hospital.  He  remarked  on 
arrival  that  it  was  "  very  amusing  to  look  at  a 
play,  but  not  so  amusing  to  be  one  of  the  actors." 
Of  course,  the  Rebels  hated  Governor  Sun  for 
playing  them  false  and  learning  all  their  secrets 
while  professing  to  be  one  of  them.  On  the 
other  hand,  after  he  had  telegraphed  the  Throne 
at  Peking  that  he  had  only  turned  Rebel  because 
he  was  forced  to  and  to  save  the  province  from 
anarchy,  and  now  that  the  province  was  safely 
steered  back  under  Imperial  rule,  he  wished  to  be 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     191 

punished  and  deprived  of  office,  the  Throne,  in- 
stead praised  him  for  his  diplomacy  and  retained 
him  in  office.  Rev.  J.  S.  Whitewright,  of  Tsin- 
anfu,  wrote,  December  6th,  to  Wei  Hsien  as  fol- 
lows :  "  The  confirmation  of  the  news  of  the 
fall  of  Nanking  has  caused  a  good  deal  of  un- 
easiness among  the  acting  officials.  But  in  spite 
of  bad  roads,  and  the  fact  that  the  colleges  have 
been  dismissed,  we  still  have  visitors  at  the  mu- 
seum. Yesterday  there  were  over  500.  The 
reading-room  is  especially  well  used  at  this  time. 
Owing  to  prompt  and  careful  measures  taken  by 
the  authorities  in  Tsinanfu,  the  provincial  capi- 
tal and  other  important  cities  were  free  from 
any  serious  disturbance,  although  robbers  and 
violence  have  been  very  common  in  many  parts 
of  the  province." 

The  past  year  records  a  variety  of  experiences 
in  my  itinerating  and  Bible  class  work  in  the 
country  around  Wei  Hsien,  owing  to  the  dis- 
turbed conditions  in  China.  I  had  to  plan  to 
work  in  places  where  it  was  possible  to  hold  Bible 
classes  in  peace.  Also  the  rains  were  so  heavy 
that  the  roads  were  in  a  terrible  condition,  and 
a  number  of  our  chapels  in  the  out-stations  were 
damaged  and  roofs  fallen  in.  Also,  the  Chris- 
tians suffered  considerably  from  their  little 
homes  tumbling  in.  But  they  showed  great  pa- 
tience and  have  done  very  little  begging  for  help. 
At  one  place  I  saw  a  house  so  badly  damaged 


192    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

that  I  asked  an  old  woman  outside  whose  it  was. 
She  replied  quietly :    "  It  is  ours." 

She  did  not  beg,  but  took  me  into  see  the 
wreck  when  asked  to  do  so.  It  was  pitiful  to 
see  their  poor  little  dirty  pillow  on  the  ground 
under  the  piece  of  roof  left  at  the  end, — barely 
room  for  the  old  couple  to  lie  down,  and  yet 
they  had  spent  the  winter  in  this  cold,  wretched, 
exposed  place. 

In  December  I  started  for  a  village  far  out 
from  Wei  Hsien,  where  I  had  arranged  to  teach 
a  Bible  class.  I  planned  to  stop  at  Ch'ang  Loa 
City  on  the  way,  stay  over  Sabbath  there,  and 
finish  the  journey  on  Monday.  But  on  Sabbath 
afternoon,  at  the  close  of  our  services,  while  the 
Christians  were  quietly  walking  with  me  to  my 
stopping  place  for  the  night,  a  scoundrel  reviled 
us  on  the  street,  and  it  became  very  much  stirred 
up.  The  elder  of  the  church  there  was  arrested 
and  taken  by  ten  soldiers  to  the  yamen.  The 
people  that  collected  soon  after  went  away  for 
their  evening  meal,  and  I  left  in  the  dusk  on  the 
evening  train  for  Wei  Hsien. 

Next  morning  Dr.  Frank  Chalfant  took  the 
early  train  for  Ch'ang  Loa  City,  and  with  his 
evangelist  visited  the  officials,  and  with  difficulty 
secured  the  release  of  the  unfortunate  elder.  I 
then  went  to  my  class  in  the  village,  where  I  had 
arranged  to  hold  my  Bible  class,  and  received  a 
cordial  welcome. 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     193 

Away  across  the  fields  the  children  saw  my 
barrow  approaching,  and  shouting  joyfully, 
''  Miss  Hawes  has  come !  "  they  came  tearing  to 
meet  me  and  covered  my  hands  with  their  little 
hands,  and  out  from  the  little  homes  came  their 
big  sisters  and  mothers,  and  all  went  with  me  to 
the  chapel,  where  we  had  a  very  happy  time  to- 
gether, and  for  two  weeks  a  very  earnest  class, 
the  time  spent  in  profitable  study  of  the  Bible, 
and  at  the  close,  twelve  Christians  went  out  to 
preach  in  heathen  villages,  all  having  voluntarily 
promised  the  time  at  our  closing  meeting. 

In  February  I  went  to  another  remote  village 
through  a  landscape  of  very  soft  real  estate,  the 
barrow  finally  sinking  gently  in  the  mud,  while 
the  ancient  animal  refused  to  pull  another  step. 
We  succeeded  in  hiring  a  splendid  big  horse  at 
a  nearby  village,  which  pulled  us  with  a  mighty 
jerk  out  of  the  mud,  and  took  us  over  the  remain- 
ing ten  li  to  our  destination  at  nightfall.     The 
Christians  welcomed  us  and  came  daily  to  study. 
One  of  the  women  was  so  anxious  to  keep  on 
studying  and  teach  the  other  women  in  her  vil- 
lage,  thirteen  li  distant,  that  she  sent   for  her 
husband,  who  came  with  his  big  cart,  drawn  by 
four  mules  and  a  horse,  to  take  us  all  to  their 
village.     The  roads  were  so  bad,  the  five  strong 
animals   fairly   wallowed   in   the  mud,    so   that 
twice  we  had  to  get  off  the  cart  to  lighten  the 
load.     But  we  were  well  repaid  for  this  trip,  for 


194     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

the  large  room  borrowed  for  our  class  was 
crowded  daily  with  earnest  women  studying  the 
gospel. 

Returning  from  this  place  by  barrow  to  the 
train,  a  day's  journey  off,  I  was  surprised  to  find 
the  cars  filled  with  foreigners  and  Chinese  flee- 
ing to  the  coast  for  safety;  and  as  we  emerged 
from  the  Wei  Hsien  station  we  had  to  pass 
through  a  double  line  of  soldiers,  who  knocked 
the  sacks  of  bedding  off  the  shoulders  of  my 
teachers,  and  searched  the  contents  for  contra- 
band gunpowder.  It  was  funny  to  see  the  an- 
noyed looks  of  my  helpers  as  their  baggage  was 
thus  rudely  knocked  down.  However,  as  I  ap- 
peared and  said  to  the  soldiers,  "  These  are  my 
things,"  they  politely  lifted  the  sacks  of  bedding 
up  on  the  men's  shoulders  again  and  allowed  us 
to  go  to  the  carts  in  peace.  They  said  they  had 
arrested  thirty  men  that  day  who  had  concealed 
gunpowder  in  their  sacks  of  bedding.  We  have 
sorrowed  because  of  the  Christians  having  to 
endure  trials  because  of  the  lawless  element  con- 
nected with  the  war,  but  rejoice  at  the  wonder- 
ful work  of  grace  in  their  hearts  which  has  kept 
them  faithful  and  true  to  God.  The  work  is 
very  encouraging  everywhere  in  spite  of  the  still 
unsettled  state  of  the  country. 

Elder  Chang,  helping  in  one  of  the  Yihsien 
out-stations,  says  that  in  one  place  there  was  a 
theater  going  on,  and  for  two  days  the  people 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     195 

left  the  theater  to  listen  to  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel.  He  did  not  hear  any  reviling  or  disre- 
spectful talk.  A  wealthy,  educated  man  read  a 
copy  of  the  gospels  which  one  of  his  fellow  vil- 
lagers brought  home  to  him  from  the  market 
where  Elder  Chang  preached  and  sold  books. 

He  read  it  with  great  interest,  and  the  one 
sentence,  "  Love  one  another,"  stuck  in  his  mind. 
He  said :  "  There  is  nothing  like  that  in  our 
classics." 

He  went  to  find  the  elder  who  had  sold  the 
book  and  bought  more  books,  and  listened  all 
morning  to  the  preaching.  At  noon  he  fol- 
lowed the  elder  and  his  evangelist  to  the  inn  to 
hear  more.  They  saw  he  was  in  earnest  and 
spent  their  noon  resting  time  in  preaching  and 
explaining  the  Scriptures  to  him.  He  was  very 
much  impressed  by  this,  and  said  to  the  tired 
men :  **  This  is  love  put  into  practice."  He  be- 
came a  Christian,  and  about  ten  others  of  his 
village  have  become  Christians,  while  about  ten 
more  are  studying  the  gospel.  He  has  a  church 
and  a  Christian  school  in  his  house. 

CHANGES     IN     OLD     CUSTOMS 

On  January  ist,  19 12,  the  Chinese  officially 
changed  their  New  Year  from  February  i8th 
to  January  ist,  from  the  lunar  to  the  solar  year, 
to  conform  to  the  Christian  way  of  reckoning. 


196    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

The  people  celebrated  the  New  Year  on  the  date 
of  February  i8th  on  this  year  for  the  last  time. 
The  queue  has  been  worn  in  China  since  1644. 
Today  they  have  no  queues  in  the  coast  cities, 
and  they  are  dropping  off  in  the  interior  grad- 
ually. The  young  men  in  the  Shantung  Col- 
lege have  all  disposed  of  their  queues,  and  at 
first  their  hair  looked  somewhat  like  feather- 
dusters  in  style,  but  they  have  now  learned  how 
to  cut  their  hair,  so  they  present  a  very  neat  ap- 
pearance. This  is  due  largely  to  our  professor, 
Ralph  C.  Wells,  Superintendent  of  the  Boys' 
Academy,  who  cut  Dr.  Mateer's  hair  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  gathering  of  students  in  the  school 
yard  as  an  object  lesson.  The  older  men,  espe- 
cially the  heathen  class  in  the  interior  villages, 
where  superstition  and  ignorance  still  rule,  are 
not  willing  to  part  with  their  queue.  They  don't 
want  to  die  without  their  queue  and  risk  having 
trouble  in  the  spirit  world.  At  one  place,  sixty  li 
from  Wei  Hsien,  some  young  Republicans  began 
cutting  off  the  villagers'  queues  without  their 
consent,  and  unwisely  dealt  with  an  official  who 
resented  losing  his  queue,  and  during  the  fight 
which  ensued,  twenty-eight  Republicans  were 
killed.  Then  the  city  official  came  out  from  Wei 
Hsien  disguised  as  a  farmer  and  settled  the 
trouble  in  a  Chinese  way.  By  offering  four 
strings  of  cash  to  every  man  who  had  done  the 
killing  and  two  strings  of  cash  to  any  who  had 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     197 

helped,  he  lured  them  all  into  a  hall  to  get  their 
rewards,  and  then  closing  the  door,  had  them  all 
shot  down.  It  is  estimated  that  sixty-four  men 
lost  their  lives  over  queue  cutting,  counting  both 
sides.  In  this,  of  course,  no  Christians  were 
concerned. 

The  government  officials  used  to  have  high- 
sounding  names  and  titles.  Today  they  are 
simply  "  Mister."  Twenty  years  ago  mission- 
aries scarcely  dared  go  near  the  heathen  temples. 
Now  they  can  go  and  take  kodak  pictures  of 
them  and  the  idols  inside.  In  some  of  the 
temples  idols  were  worshipped  for  centuries, 
some  even  from  before  the  Christian  era.  Now 
many  have  been  raided,  the  idols  broken  and 
cast  out,  and  nothing  said  by  the  onlookers. 

There  is  a  society  called  the  "  T'ung  Ming 
Hui,"  of  which  Sun  Yat  Sen  is  a  member,  and 
also  all  leading  Republicans  all  over  China.  It 
means  "  Enlightenment  Society,"  and  its  object 
is  to  educate  the  Chinese  to  a  thorough  under- 
standing of  what  a  Republican  government 
means.  It  encourages  reform  and  education  in 
every  form,  and  discourages  all  ignorance  and 
superstition.  It  meets  every  day  and  the  meet- 
ings are  attended  by  hundreds  of  men,  most  of 
them  of  the  influential  class.  At  Wei  Hsien 
City,  our  Shantung  College  professors  have  lec- 
tured very  frequently  at  these  meetings,  having 
urgent  invitations  to  do  so,  and  they  are  always 


198    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

told  that  they  may  present  the  cause  of  Christian- 
ity at  the  close  of  their  lectures.  This  is  one  of 
the  great  open  doors  for  Christianity. 

Then  it  is  glorious  to  see  the  beautiful  work 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  Student  Volunteer 
movement  growing  so  fast.  Pastor  Ting  Li  Mei, 
a  graduate  of  our  Christian  College,  and  one 
who,  during  the  Boxer  war  suffered  for  Christ 
in  China,  and  has  done  such  noble  work  as  an 
evangelist,  is  the  first  travelling  secretary  of  the 
Volunteer  Movement.  He  has  visited  most  of 
the  Christian  colleges  of  China.  Christian  stu- 
dents in  large  numbers  have  been  influenced  by 
him  under  God  to  volunteer  for  the  ministry, 
while  many  others  are  led  into  the  Christian 
life. 

Mr.  Fei  Chi  Pao,  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  at 
Peking,  visited  Wei  Hsien  recently  to  assist  in  a 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  convention  in  our  compound,  and 
in  an  interview  the  author  learned  his  interest- 
ing story.  Mr.  Fei  and  his  classmate,  Mr.  Kung, 
graduates  of  the  Tungchow  Congregational  Col- 
lege, went  to  America  in  1901.  Owing  to  their 
passports  having  been  signed  by  Li  Hung  Chang, 
instead  of  the  Viceroy  (as  required  by  law), 
they  were  kept  at  the  San  Francisco  detention 
station  with  about  200  Chinese,  and  then  later 
on  in  another  place  until  their  passports  could 
be  fixed  up  right,  so  that  these  "  Two  Heroes  of 
Cathay  "  were  six  months  in  getting  to  Oberlin 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     199 

University,  where  they  took  the  course  and  then 
afterwards  graduated  at  Yale.  They  returned 
to  China  and  are  engaged  in  Christian  work. 
Mr.  Fei  was  principal  of  the  provincial  college 
in  Paotingfu  for  three  years  and  was  one  of  Dr. 
Sun's  cabinet,  but  is  now  connected  with  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  work  in  Peking,  which  is  supported 
by  the  Princeton  University,  and  directed  by 
Princeton  graduates,  Mr.  Robert  Gailey,  Mr. 
Dwight  Edwards,  Mr.  Munson  and  others.  Mr. 
Fei  said  that  he  was  so  long  getting  to  Oberlin 
from  San  Francisco  that  when  he  arrived,  and 
was  told  he  should  enter  the  Sophomore  class, 
his  heart  sank  within  him  and  he  wrote  to  a 
friend  : 

"  I  had  such  a  hard  time  getting  here,  and 
now  I  am  to  enter  the  '  Suffer  more  '  class.  I 
don't  know  what  is  in  store  for  me,  but  I  hope 
it  will  be  all  right." 

One  of  his  classmates  was  a  Greek  named 
"  Papodopylus,"  and  Mr.  Fei  got  his  name 
wrong  and  called  him  "  Mr.  Hippopotamus." 

On  April  25th,  1912,  the  foundation  stone  of 
the  new  building  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  in  Peking  was  laid.  Mr.  John  Wana- 
maker,  of  Philadelphia,  gave  the  money  for  the 
building.  $40,000  covered  the  cost  of  building, 
and  the  equipment  with  electric  light,  heating, 
etc.,  cost  about  $30,000  more.  The  wealthy 
Chinese  are  giving  large  sums  of  money  to  sup- 


goo    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

port  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work.  They  realize  the 
great  value  of  this  uplifting  influence.  Chinese 
boys  of  12  to  1 6  years  of  age  and  upwards  may 
go  and  enjoy  the  educational  classes,  the  reading- 
rooms,  the  swimming-pools  and  shower  baths, 
the  game  rooms,  the  gymnasium,  the  lectures  and 
services  in  the  spacious  Auditorium,  and  on  sum- 
mer evenings  the  Roof  Garden. 

In  Tientsin,  where  the  International  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  erected  the  building  and  provided  foreign 
teachers,  the  native  Chinese  contribute  $20,000 
a  year  for  the  work.  Mr.  O  Yang  Tai,  a  Chin- 
ese official,  two  year-6  ago  gave  $20,000  from 
his  own  private  purse  towards  the  purchase  of 
the  land,  valued  at  $40,000. 

When  asked  about  the  present  situation  of  the 
new  Republic  of  China,  Mr.  Fei  said:  "  I  think 
China  is  having  a  very  critical  time.  The  people 
are  afraid  to  give  because  they  have  not  full  con- 
fidence in  the  Republic.  There  are  many  rich 
men  who  could  give,  but  they  fear  the  Republic 
will  not  stand.  Some  would  like  a  constitu- 
tional monarchy.  Not  Manchu,  oh!  no,  never," 
said  Mr.  Fei.  "  They  would  have  it  pure  Chi- 
nese. They  like  Yuan  Shih  K'ai  because  he  is 
Chinese.  They  think  Dr.  Sun  has  been  away  so 
much  that  he  is  more  like  a  foreigner,  but  Dr. 
Sun  shows  a  fine  Christian  spirit,  and  many 
would  like  him  for  President."  When  asked 
what  he  thought  of  Dr.  Sun  going  to  the  Ming 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     201 

tomb  and  announcing  to  the  dead  Emperor: 
''China  is  a  Republic!"  he  said:  "Well,  there 
are  two  sides  to  that.  He  wanted  to  show  his 
respect  to  the  Ming  Emperor  because  he  was  a 
pure  Chinese  ruler,  not  a  Manchu.  The  dirt  cov- 
ering his  tomb  was  carried  from  the  eighteen 
different  provinces  and  he  reverenced  the  Ming 
Emperor  as  the  Chinese  people  all  do." 

We  trust  the  Christian  people  in  America  and 
other  Christian  countries  will  earnestly  pray  for 
Dr.  Sun  and  President  Yuan  Shih  K'ai,  who  are 
not  perfect  men  by  any  means,  but  we  should 
pray  that  they  may  utterly  renounce  the  sins  of 
idolatry,  and  honor  God,  the  King  of  Kings,  be- 
fore this  great  nation,  and  that  they  may  be  able 
to  stand  the  gaze  and  criticism  of  the  world  as 
they  try  to  rule  this  great  new  Republic  and  en- 
deavor to  steer  it  through  the  sea  of  troubles 
to  a  peaceful,  happy,  solid  existence.  Above  all, 
let  us  pray  that  the  Chinese  people  may  turn 
from  the  gods  that  have  no  power  to  save  their 
precious  souls,  and  believe  in  the  one  true  and 
living  God  while  He  yet  shows  them  mercy.  It 
seems  to  me  that  God  is  holding  China  in  the 
balance,  waiting  for  her  decision  to  the  moment- 
ous question :  "  Choose  ye  this  day  whom  ye 
will  serve !  "  Oh !  that  this  great  country,  up- 
held by  the  prayers  and  help  of  God's  people, 
may  put  away  the  strange  gods  and  say :  **  We 
will  serve  the  Lord !  " 


CHAPTER   XXII 


THE  CHINESE  REVOLUTION— THE  MOST  WON- 
DERFUL IN  HISTORY 


THOSE  who  read  this  book  are  already 
aware  of  the  principal  leading  events  in 
the  recent  Revolution.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary in  these  days  of  progress  to  go  over  events 
which  have  been  published  and  read  daily  in  the 
home  papers.  But  it  is  interesting  and  of  the 
highest  importance  to  watch  these  events  and 
the  outcome  in  China  as  they  bear  relation  to  the 
one  important  matter — the  triumph  of  God's 
church,  His  truth  over  all  this  struggle.  There 
are  two  classes  now  in  China — optimists  and 
pessimists,  both  among  foreigners  and  Chinese — 
and  I  find  many  opinions  expressed  about  the 
Republic  as  to  its  success.  There  are  those  who 
think  the  Republic  is  bound  to  win,  and  others 
who  even  go  so  far  as  to  suspect  poor  Yuan 
Shik  K'ai  of  the  intention  of  declaring  himself 
Emperor,  like  Napoleon. 

But  let  me  state  the  opinion  of  Dr.   George 

Fitch,  of  Shanghai,  who  has  been  the  honored 

representative    of    our   Presbyterian   Church    in 

China    for   lo,    these   many   years,    since    1870. 

202 


Yuan  Shih  K'ai 
President  of  tre  Chinese  Republic 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    203 

While  he  says  no  one  can  tell  to  a  certainty  yet 
whether  the  Republic  will  endure,  yet  he  hopes 
it  will  and  he  thinks  President  Yuan  Shih  K'ai 
has  no  such  base  intentions  as  of  declaring  him- 
self Emperor;  that  he  is  exerting  his  best  strength 
and  energies  for  the  sole  good  of  China,  and 
that  he  is  not  personally  enjoying  the  position 
he  occupies  of  being  constantly  surrounded  in 
Peking  by  a  heavy  guard  of  soldiers  as  close  as 
any  prisoner  while  he  performs  the  duties  of  his 
high  office. 

To  show  the  reader  a  little  of  how  the  great 
President  lives  in  Peking  and  the  nervous  state 
of  things  in  that  city  last  May,  I  venture  to  tell 
a  little  personal  experience.  Mrs.  Robert  Ma- 
teer  and  myself  took  a  trip  to  Tientsin  to  have 
our  teeth  filled  by  an  American  dentist,  and  we 
saw  block  after  block  of  burned  buildings,  the 
sad  evidences  of  the  late  struggle  for  freedom. 
Then  we  decided  to  visit  the  great  capital,  and 
Mr.  Grimes,  our  Bible  Society  representative,  at 
whose  house  we  were  stopping  in  Tientsin,  ar- 
ranged for  us  to  stay  with  the  kind  missionaries 
of  the  London  Mission  at  Peking,  who  were  will- 
ing to  accommodate  us  for  a  few  days  in  their 
home. 

When  we  arrived  and  passed  through  the  great 
Water  Gate  through  which  the  famous  "  Allied  " 
troops  had  rushed  in  Boxer  days,  we  enjoyed 
our  ride  in  the  rubber-tired  rikshas  to  the  pleas- 


204     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

ant  and  comfortable  home  of  Rev.  and  Mrs. 
Howard  Smith,  of  the  London  Mission.  We 
found,  to  our  surprise,  that  this  house  was  just 
over  the  wall  from  the  great  Yuan  Shih  K'ai 
himself,  for  looking  out  of  the  upstairs'  window, 
we  could  see  the  magnificent  building  of  the  Wai 
Wu  Pu  (Foreign  Office),  formerly  known  as 
the  "  Tsung  li  Yamen."  At  night  it  looked  bril- 
liant with  electric  lights  all  over  the  mansion 
and  the  grounds,  the  soldiers'  barracks  occupy- 
ing the  rear,  just  next  the  wall  dividing  them 
from  the  Smith  yard  in  the  London  Mission. 
It  poured  rain  all  the  next  day  and  night  after 
we  arrived,  but  we  managed  to  visit  the  wonder- 
ful Temple  of  Heaven,  passing  through  the  beau- 
tiful wooded  grounds  and  eleven  different  gates 
in  the  sacred  enclosure.  We  followed  the  old 
Chinese  guide  (and  also  the  advice  of  Mr. 
Grimes,  of  Tientsin,  who  said  to  "  pay  your 
gate  fees  coming  back"),  and  we  certainly  had 
a  very  wet  walk  of  it,  which  we  didn't  enjoy 
perhaps  as  much  as  the  drove  of  water  buffaloes 
did  that  we  saw  in  the  grounds,  belonging  to  the 
late  Emperor  and  intended  for  sacred  sacrifices. 
We  rested  a  little  in  one  of  the  grand  Im- 
perial pavilions  and  sat  in  the  exquisitely  carved 
Imperial  chair,  where  the  late  Emperor  sat  to 
drink  his  tea  and  keep  his  vigils.  At  every  gate 
the  keeper  protested  about  unlocking  the  bolts 
to  let  us  through,  but  assuring  him  we  would 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     205 

pay  as  we  came  out,  he  let  us  queer  foreigners 
through,  thinking,  no  doubt,  that  we  would  cer- 
tainly fix  it  up  well  for  him  on  returning.  We 
had  changed  a  dollar  Mexican  (50c  gold)  into 
copper  cash,  and  on  our  way  back  gave  each  of 
the  gate  keepers  two  or  three  of  those  after  they 
opened  the  gate  for  us  to  pass  through.  Of 
course,  it  didn't  satisfy  them,  but  you  couldn't 
satisfy  them  anyway  with  more,  so  we  had  no 
trouble  and  got  off  very  cheap,  our  dollar  Mexi- 
can being  suiificient  for  all  the  sights  in  the 
Temple  of  Heaven,  and  also  the  Buddhist  Llama 
Temple,  where  the  filthy  priests  beset  you  on 
every  side,  clamoring  for  money. 

If  anybody  in  America  should  become  enam- 
ored of  the  Buddhist  religion,  just  let  them  go 
to  that  Llama  Temple  in  Peking  and  see  those 
dirty,  filthy,  beggarly  priests  and  that  old  bat- 
tered can  they  call  a  "prayer  wheel,"  and  the 
hideous  idols  and  gloomy  temples  that  make 
you  shudder  to  go  into,  and  see  those  five  hun- 
dred little  Mongolians  and  Tibetan  boys,  in 
training  for  priests,  who  chant,  and  as  they  pass 
from  one  temple  to  another,  stick  out  their 
tongues  and  revile  the  foreigners.  Oh!  the  evil 
in  those  young  eyes.  It  is  the  saddest  of  sights 
to  see  them  so  young  and  in  the  chains  of  Satan's 
slavery.  One  of  the  priests  wanted  us  to  let  him 
burn  incense  for  us  before  that  gigantic  Buddha, 
made  of  one  piece  of  wood  (they  say)  several 


206    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

stories  high.  We  told  them,  "  No,  we  worship 
the  true  God,"  and  when  they  kept  urging  us  to 
buy  Httle  Buddhas  which  they  pulled  out  of  their 
filthy  robes,  we  told  them  we  "  had  no  use  for 
them,"  but  we  were  very  thankful  when  we  got 
out  of  that  place,  I  tell  you.  (We  learned  after- 
wards that  an  American  had  been  locked  up  in 
one  of  those  awful  temples  until  he  had  given 
fifty  dollars  to  the  priests,  and  that  it  was  not 
safe  to  go  there  alone.) 

It  is  a  truly  splendid  sight  to  view  the  great 
Temple  of  Heaven, — both  the  grand,  open,  cir- 
cular-paved platform  surrounded  by  steps  where 
the  Emperor  yearly  knelt  to  worship  heaven,  and 
offer  sacrifices  on  the  altar  just  below  the  steps 
in  the  grounds;  and  then  see  those  splendid  pil- 
lars in  the  temple  with  its  enormous  dome  of 
blue,  the  pillars  being  of  the  costly  teakwood 
brought  floating  by  the  sea  from  Siam  and  trans- 
ported at  the  cost  of  untold  money  and  lives; 
and  there  you  see  shameful  desecration,  for 
names  of  foreigners  are  scratched  on  the  surface 
of  those  magnificent  pillars !  It  makes  me  blush 
for  our  country,  and  feel  charity  for  the  hatred 
of  the  foreigner  in  Chinese  hearts.  When  we 
returned  we  visited  the  Congregational  mission 
and  were  refreshed  with  a  cup  of  beef  tea  pre- 
pared for  us  by  Miss  May  Corbett,  who  is  teach- 
ing in  the  Girls'  School,  and  was  very  glad  to 
welcome  us. 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     207 

That  night  we  were  sleeping  very  soundly 
after  our  rainy  trip,  and  our  shoes,  etc.,  drying 
by  the  range  in  the  kitchen,  when  we  were  sud- 
denly roused  from  our  slumbers  at  midnight. 
Mrs.  Smith  appeared  in  our  doorway  with  light- 
ed candle  and  anxious  face,  saying: 

"  Don't  you  hear  the  trouble  ?  We  must  all 
go  at  once  to  Dr.  Hill's  house  at  the  gate  of  the 
compound,  and  wait  for  a  guard  to  take  us  to 
the  British  Legation !  " 

"  My  gracious!  "  I  exclaimed,  *'  is  there  really 
trouble  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  said;  "  don't  you  hear  the  soldiers 
yelling?'' 

Sure  enough,  we  did  hear  the  soldiers  yelling, 
and  soon  they  were  firing  shots.  Mrs.  Smith 
said: 

"  There  is  the  shooting  I  Get  dressed,  chop- 
chop  (quickly),  Joyce,"  to  her  little  girl  in  the 
next  room. 

Dear  me,  how  we  did  scramble  to  get  dressed, 
and  I  called  to  Mr.  Smith:  ''If  you  go  to  the 
kitchen  to  get  your  shoes,  would  you  mind  bring- 
ing up  ours,  too  ?  "  But,  oh,  no,  there  was  no 
thought  of  shoes,  and  the  Smith  family  swiftly 
passed  down  the  stairs  in  their  slippers,  carrying 
the  children  (who  were  so  good  and  didn't  cry 
out)  into  the  darkness  and  floods  of  rain. 

'*  Now,  we  are  in  another  scrape !  Whatever 
possessed  us  to  come  here,  anyhow?"  were  my 


208     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

remarks  to  Mrs.  Mateer  as  we  got  our  belongings 
together,  and  I  grabbed  my  precious  kodak  and 
blundered  through  the  dark  after  the  rest  into 
deep  pools  of  water,  soaking  my  feet;  but  we 
finally  reached  the  residence  by  the  gate,  and 
Mr.  Smith  with  Dr.  Woodson,  armed  with  a 
gun,  went  to  the  Wai  Wu  Pu  to  inquire  what 
was  the  real  trouble. 

After  they  left,  one  of  the  English  mission- 
aries said :  '*  If  Yuan  Shih  K'ai  dies  to-night, 
China  is  lost."  But  soon  the  gentlemen  returned, 
saying  that  the  rain  had  soaked  through  the  roof 
and  flimsy  walls  of  the  barracks  and  tumbled  in 
on  the  sleeping  soldiers,  and  that  was  the  crash 
which  had  wakened  the  Smith  family,  whose 
room  faced  that  direction.  So  learning  that  all 
but  two  of  the  soldiers  were  pulled  out  unhurt, 
and  those  two  not  seriously  injured,  and  there 
being  no  real  trouble,  we  all  returned  and  fin- 
ished out  our  dreams  in  peace.  Next  morning 
the  sun  shone  out  innocently  and  we  were  able 
to  go  to  visit  the  Great  Wall,  and  ''  Bing 
toombs,"  as  our  colds  caused  us  to  pronounce 
the  ''  Ming  Tombs." 

The  Peking  missionaries  at  that  time  were  all 
in  the  nervous  state  of  not  knowing  what  might 
happen  in  the  next  twenty- four  hours  and  showed 
the  strain  of  living  in  that  uncertainty.  Sand 
bags  were  lying  about  which  had  been  used  a 
few  weeks  before  and  might  be  called  into  use 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    209 

again.  I  quote  a  letter  written  by  Miss  Cor- 
bett,  which  is  interesting  not  only  to  her  own 
father  (Dr.  Hunter  Corbett,  of  Chefoo),  but 
to  all  who  have  read  of  China's  recent  events. 

'*  Peking,  March  5th,  19 12. 
"  My  dear  Friends, 

"  The  past  few  days  have  been  so  full  of 
danger  and  responsibility,  that  it  has  been  im- 
possible to  write  any  earlier  account  of  the  stir- 
ring events  through  which  we  have  so  recently 
passed. 

**  Thursday  morning,  Feb.  29,  after  a  fort- 
night's New  Year  vacation,  we  opened  our 
school,  and  the  day  was  spent  in  an  earnest 
effort  to  settle  into  routine  work  as  speedily  as 
possible.  At  the  close  of  the  afternoon  session, 
Mrs.  Calhoun  called  for  me,  and  together  we 
made  calls  on  two  princesses.  Our  first  call 
was  charming,  when  the  prince  joined  us  and 
His  Highness  vied  with  Mrs.  Calhoun  in  taking 
pictures  of  us  all.  The  second  call,  however, 
was  a  gloomy  one,  indeed.  The  princess  re- 
ceived us  with  a  warm  welcome,  but  instantly 
began  to  talk  of  China's  desperate  condition, 
and  the  certain  disturbance  before  us.  We  tried 
our  best  to  assure  Her  Highness  that  there  was 
still  a  future  bright  and  prosperous  before 
China,  and  the  whole  world  marvelled  at  the 
bloodless  revolution,  and  the  great  President 
who  had  brought  about  such  a  peaceful  solution 
of  affairs  politic.  Her  Highness  refused  to  be 
comforted  and  said  that  her  nation  had  not  yet 
recovered  from  the  shame  of  1900,  only  to  be 
plunged  into  the  deeper  disgrace  of  the  present 


210    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

hour.  We  could  not  account  for  her  mood,  and 
yet,  just  one  hour  later,  the  riot  started  outside 
the  Ch'i  Hua  Men  which  was  to  continue  until 
this  whole  great  city  was  involved. 

"  At  7  o'clock  I  led  a  song  service  for  the 
girls,  and  at  its  close  at  7 130,  we  heard  from  all 
sides  the  sharp  report  of  firing,  but  as  we  were 
so  near  the  great  Lantern  Festival,  we  all. 
thought  that  a  few  ardent  spirits  had  started 
their  celebration  of  firecrackers  earlier  than  their 
wont.  The  noise  continued  so  insistent  that  sev- 
eral of  us  sought  our  college  tower,  and  from 
this  splendid  vantage  point  saw  several  large 
fires  but  newly  started.  The  moon  was  nearly 
full.  As  the  night  wore  on,  we  saw  as  many 
as  fifty  fires  on  three  sides  of  us,  and,  as  we 
watched  them  growing  nearer,  a  considerable 
breeze  blowing  and  the  sparks  flying  from  all 
sides,  it  seemed  very  probable  our  compound 
was  doomed. 

"  Our  eighty  girls  were  wonderful  in  their 
composure  and  bravery,  and  flew  to  fill  every 
bucket  and  tub  on  the  place  with  water.  We 
tried  to  keep  them  together  in  the  large  lower 
hall,  so  that  they  might  not  see  how  near  we 
were  to  danger,  for  the  heavens  were  one  mass 
of  luried  flames,  a  sight  to  strike  terror  to  the 
heart  of  the  bravest  veteran. 

"  Miss  Browne  and  I  stayed  with  the  girls  in 
the  hall  from  8  to  11  P.  M.,  trying  every  sane 
scheme  possible  to  divert  their  minds,  and  finally 
about  midnight  we  persuaded  them  to  go  to  the 
dormitory  and  try  to  sleep.  We  then  mounted 
the  tower,  where  we  stayed  till  after  4  A.  M. 
and  watched  a  never-to-be-forgotten  sight. 

"  It   had   been    previously    arranged   that,    in 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     211 

case  of  sudden  danger,  rockets  should  be  sent 
off  from  our  tower  as  a  signal,  asking  for  guards 
from  the  American  Legation.  The  rockets  were 
sent  up  at  eleven,  but,  on  account  of  the  large 
fires  all  around,  were  not  noticed  at  the  Lega- 
tion. Mr.  Whallon,  however,  who  was  dining  at 
the  London  Mission  that  evening,  and,  seeing 
our  rockets,  made  straight  for  the  Legation,  to 
offer  his  services  as  pilot,  and  was  hence  the 
first  to  notify  them  of  our  danger. 

**  About  midnight  20  marines  reached  us  with 
orders  to  escort  the  women  and  children  to  the 
M.  E.  Mission.  The  poor  kiddies  were  taken 
out  of  their  warm  beds,  and  Bettine,  Borgen  and 
Jimpse — only  three  years  old,  all  walked  the 
long  mile  to  that  compound.  (Children  of  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  Stelle,  Cong,  missionaries.)  Six  of  us 
ladies  stayed  behind  with  the  girls,  as  it  was 
thought  most  unwise  to  move  them,  with  the 
streets  thronged  with  looting  soldiers. 

"  Mr.  Stelle,  our  senior  missionary,  had  been 
in  bed  for  five  weeks,  with  neuritis,  unable  to 
take  a  step,  but  he  insisted  on  remaining  with  us, 
although  Mrs.  Stelle  and  the  three  children 
obeyed  orders. 

"  Seven  of  the  Lockart  Medical  Faculty  had 
gone  out  to  the  Western  Hills  for  a  brief  rest 
before  opening  school,  so  our  Dr.  Young  was 
away  and  our  gentlemen  numbered  but  four, 
counting  in  two  of  our  Shansi  missionaries. 

"  Leaving  us  a  corporal  and  6  marines,  the 
rest  of  the  guard  escorted  the  fifteen  women 
and  children  down  to  the  Methodist  Compound. 
On  all  sides  they  saw  the  systematic  looting,  as 
bands  of  20  soldiers  and  two  small  officers  halted 
before  every  sizable  shop  on  the  Hataman  and, 


212    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

at  a  given  order,  hurled  themselves  against  the 
door,  which  of  necessity  gave  way,  and  then 
proceeded  to  take  everything  of  value,  always 
securing  the  money-tills  and  breaking  open  the 
safes. 

"  From  our  vantage  point  on  the  tower,  we 
could  hear  the  hurried  trampof  feet  as  they  stead- 
ily came  up  Teng  Shih  K'ou,  the  street  we  live 
on.  Shop  after  shop  was  reached,  then  came 
the  frantic  kicks,  the  breaking  in  of  the  doors, 
a  few  shots  into  the  air,  and  on  to  the  street. 

"  Our  street  chapel  was  approached,  and  a 
soldier  seized  the  chapel-keeper's  wrist  with  the 
demand  of  *  money,'  but  the  keeper  said :  '  This 
is  a  Gospel  Hall,'  and  the  soldiers,  looking  up 
at  the  sign  overhead,  said :  *  You  are  right ;  we 
want  nothing  of  you  here,'  and  the  band  moved 
on.  The  cigarette  shop  directly  to  the  left  of  our 
front  gate  was  looted  of  3,000  taels,  and  then  the 
soldiers  crossed  to  Te  Chang's,  the  large  foreign 
store  and  restaurant,  and  the  best  curio  shop  in 
the  city,  where  gifts  suitable  for  the  Emperor 
and  Empress  were  to  be  had. 

**  The  first  intent  was  to  consign  it  to  the 
flames,  and,  as  our  American  guard  arrived,  they 
said  they  saw  the  soldiers  with  torches  just 
ready  to  start  the  fire.  A  wiser  counsel  pre- 
vailed, however,  for  these  looting  soldiers  said 
that  if  Te  Chang's  were  set  on  fire,  our  Ameri- 
can Board  Compound  would  be  doomed  indeed, 
for  our  buildings  must  need  perish,  too.  Hence 
it  was  decided  to  loot  the  premises  of  every- 
thing, and  early  next  morning  we  looked  on 
the  wreckage  of  this  great  and  valuable  stock; 
the  looters  having  made  off  with  200,000  taels' 
worth  of   foreign  stones  and  rarest  of  curios. 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    213 

As  we  listened  from  the  house-top,  we  heard 
the  continual  crashing  of  glass,  and  saw  the 
looters,  lantern  in  hand,  hastening  all  over  the 
large  building,  that  not  a  corner  might  be 
missed. 

''  The  alley  directly  back  of  our  girls'  school 
was  filled  with  bands  of  looters  all  night  long, 
and,  of  course,  in  the  wake  of  the  looting  sol- 
diers came  scores  of  beggars  and  unprincipled 
men,  who  took  all  the  soldiers  left. 

"  You  will  doubtless  remember  the  Tung  An 
Shih  Chang,  the  large  daily  fair  just  below  us. 
Every  single  building  was  burned  to  the  ground, 
and  the  area  covered  made  a  tremendous  blaze. 
On  the  north  the  flames  came  nearest  to  us, 
there  being  a  large  coffin  shop  on  one  street  cor- 
ner, the  great  heavy  coffins  producing  a  very 
lurid  pyre. 

"  Shortly  after  4  A.  M.  we  came  down  from 
the  tower,  and,  lying  down  just  as  we  were, 
secured  about  two  hours'  rest  before  breakfast. 
A  number  of  us  then  started  to  see  the  ruins 
on  our  street;  and  in  Te  Chang's  store,  all  that 
was  left  in  the  foreign  part  was  one  broken 
mustard  pot  and  a  few  glass  chandeliers,  too 
heavy  to  move.  The  whole  firm  had  rushed  for 
our  compound  during  the  night,  and  had  slept 
in  our  kitchen,  and,  as  they  told  us  that  their 
nearness  to  us  had  alone  saved  their  store  from 
flames,  their  gratitude  was  very  real. 

"  Early  in  the  morning  H.  E.  Hu  Wei  Te, 
the  president  of  the  Wai  Wu  Pu,  and  his  wife, 
who  live  just  west  of  us,  had  crawled  out  on  to 
some  roofs  and  down  a  ladder  into  our  school 
court,  and  spent  the  night  in  our  guest  room. 
Forty     members     of     Tuan     Fang's     younger 


214     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

brother's  family,  who  live  just  back  of  us,  in 
their  terror  had  deliberately  torn  a  hole  in  our 
back  wall  and  piled  in  head  first,  and  were  over- 
joyed to  be  huddled  together  in  one  room  of  our 
Bible  School  for  the  night. 

"  All  day  Friday  frightened  women  and  chil- 
dren, each  with  her  tale  of  terror,  came  pouring 
into  our  compound.  On  the  streets  martial  law 
prevailed,  and  the  soldiers  and  police  had  orders 
to  execute  immediately  anyone  caught  looting, 
and  the  servants  would  rush  in,  telling  of  an 
execution  just  above  or  below  us,  or  the  execu- 
tioner with  his  gruesome  tools  would  pass  by, 
while  we  waited  and  wondered  what  the  night 
would  bring  forth.  Several  Y.  M.  C.  A.  men 
came  up  to  help  guard  our  premises,  so,  with  our 
small  guard  of  marines  we  numbered  twelve  men 
and  six  women.  We  prevailed  upon  Miss  Miner 
and  Mrs.  Ament  to  go  to  bed,  and  Miss  Vander- 
slice  and  I  were  on  guard  in  the  girls'  court 
from  7  to  12  P.  M.,  while  Miss  Browne  and 
Miss  Reed  watched  from  midnight  to  four  in  the 
morning. 

''  At  midnight  Miss  Vanderslice  and  I  got  to- 
gether a  hearty  lunch  for  the  twelve  men,  and 
again  lying  down  in  our  clothes,  secured  about 
three  hours'   sleep. 

"  During  the  night  we  counted  ten  fires  over 
in  the  West  City,  but  were  comparatively  safe 
in  our  Tartar  City. 

"  All  day  Saturday  martial  law  again  pre- 
vailed, and,  after  many  conferences,  it  was  de- 
cided that  Miss  Browne,  Miss  Vanderslice  and 
I  should  take  our  ninety  girls  and  move  into  the 
M.  E.  Mission  Compound,  while  Miss  Miner, 
Mrs.  Ament  and  Miss  Reed  stayed  by  the  stuff, 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    215 

having  charge  of  the  many  refugees  in  the  court 
and   neighborhood. 

"  The  girls  were  ordered  to  put  on  as  many 
clothes  as  possible,  and  carry  with  them  their 
bedding,  and  one  small  *  pao  fu,'  or  bundle. 
Such  a  sight  as  we  made  as  we  left  the  com- 
pound. The  U.  S.  army  wagon  piled  high  with 
dozens  of  *  pei  wus  '  (sacks  of  bedding),  and 
on  the  top  a  gallant  marine,  who  smiled  fre- 
quently as  he  watched  us  march  two  by  two 
along  the  dusty  street.  We  were  promised  an 
escort  of  fifty  men,  but,  as  it  was  growing  late, 
we  decided  not  to  wait,  and  fared  forth  with 
but  a  single  stout  corporal,  Zacharias  by  name, 
to  whom  we  had  ministered  at  a  midnight  lunch, 
receiving  his  very  warm  thanks  for  our  atten- 
tion. 

"  We  shall  never  cease  to  marvel  at  the  spa- 
ciousness of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Compound, 
and  at  their  unparalleled  hospitality.  In  their 
girls'  school  premises  were  lodged  five  different 
schools;  150  of  their  own,  45  Anglicans,  27  Lon- 
don Mission,  6  Blind,  and  90  of  our  Board,  so 
that  we  were  indeed  an  interdenominational 
throng. 

"  Sabbath  night  I  led  a  song  service,  and  never 
have  I  heard  better  and  more  musical  singing 
than  just  these  300  girls  praising  God  for  the 
deliverance  of  the  past  nights. 

"  Saturday  Mr.  Calhoun  wired  for  200  ma- 
rines to  come  up  at  once  from  Tientsin,  and  sent 
half  a  company  to  each  of  the  four  American 
Mission  Compounds  to  stay  until  a  settled  gov- 
ernment is  an  accomplished  fact.  To  put  up 
57  men  in  comfortable  quarters  for  an  indefinite 
period  has  been  no  mean  task,  but  fortunately 


216    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

our  parish  house  proved  just  the  thing  the  doc- 
tor ordered.  The  upper  room  serves  as  dormi- 
tory and  the  lower  as  mess  room  and  reading 
room,  while  Lieutenant  Cowles  boards  with  Mrs. 
Martin. 

"  Alas !  for  our  central  grass  plot !  the  pride 
of  our  summer  days!  It  now  serves  as  a 
parade  ground  and  the  soldiers  march  hither 
and  yon  with  never  a  thought  of  the  hard- 
earned  grass  they  so  blithely  crush  to  destruc- 
tion. 

"Two  large  tents  stand  at  the  lower  end 
of  our  compound,  the  bugle  rings  out  as 
insistently  as  our  school  bell,  and  how  thank- 
ful we  are  both  for  our  guards  and  for  our 
school ! 

"  Sabbath  afternoon  a  parade  of  800  men  of 
every  foreign  guard  in  the  city  marched  over 
a  twelve-mile  course,  as  it  was  thought  the  sight 
of  such  a  substantial  and  well-equipped  foreign 
force  would  be  productive  of  many  good  results. 
The  parade  was  repeated  yesterday  and  a  worthy 
sight  it  is. 

"  After  the  soldiers  were  fairly  settled  in 
their  new  quarters  a  guard  came  down  after  us, 
and  we  marched  back  in  the  same  dignified  fash- 
ion of  two  days  before,  though  with  a  much 
cheerier  tread.  It  seems  wonderful  that,  after 
two  such  dreadful  nights  of  Thursday  and  Fri- 
day, we  could  as  peacefully  take  up  our  work 
again,  open  kindergarten  and  primary  schools, 
and  apparently  be  in  real  safety. 

"  The  black,  yawning  spaces,  where  fire  did 
her  work,  will  long  mar  our  great  city;  but  we 
are  thankful  that  only  one  large  gate  into  the 
Imperial   City  perished;    for  that  night   in  the 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    ^17 

tower  one  wondered  again  and  again  if  all  Pe- 
king's beautiful  landmarks  must  go. 

''We  all  echo  the  text  of  Dr.  Hobart's  ser- 
mon on  Sabbath — '  God  is  Love.' 

May  N.  Corbett' 


CHAPTER    XXIII 
THE  REVOLUTIONARY  OUTBREAK  IN  SI-AN-FU 

REV.  E.  J.  ELLISON,  of  the  English  Bap- 
tist Mission,  came  to  Wei  Hsien  from 
Si-an-fu,  Shensi,  and  told  his  story  of 
robbery  and  peril. 

On  October  22nd,  the  morning  of  the  eclipse, 
the  trouble  broke  out  and  battle  raged  for  five 
days.  The  Manchu  city  formed  a  separate  part 
of  the  northeast  section  of  the  city.  The  Eng- 
lish Baptist  Mission  is  in  the  east  suburb,  the 
Swedish  in  the  south  suburb.  The  dispensary  in 
the  city  proper.  The  opium  patients  were  treat- 
ed in  the  east  suburb  by  Dr.  Robertson,  who 
came  out  of  the  city  to  see  his  opium  patients 
the  day  of  the  trouble,  and  could  not  get  back  to 
the  city  to  help  Dr.  Charter,  as  the  city  gates 
were  closed.  He  felt  very  badly  about  this,  but 
it  was  God's  clear  plan  for  him,  as  he  was  the 
only  doctor  who  was  at  hand  when  Rev.  Donald 
Smith  and  his  wife  were  brought  back.  They 
had  gone  with  the  pupils  of  the  girls'  school, 
taking  them  in  carts  out  of  the  city,  but  had  only 
gone  a  few  li  out  when  they  were  beset  by  rob- 
bers. The  girls  all  escaped  in  safety  to  their 
218 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     319 

homes,  but  Rev.  Smith  and  his  wife  were  ter- 
ribly beaten  and  robbed.  They  could  do  noth- 
ing but  pray  for  help,  as  they  were  unable  to 
walk  and  had  no  carts.  Mr.  Smith's  arms  were 
broken  in  trying  to  defend  his  wife.  Finally  a 
native  Christian  boy  discovered  them  in  this  piti- 
able condition  and  brought  help.  Two  Chinese 
men  supported  Mrs.  Smith,  and  her  husband, 
weak  from  loss  of  blood,  was  carried  back  on  a 
barrow.  The  morning  service  had  passed  off  as 
usual,  but  before  noon  the  streets  were  very 
noisy  and  excited.  The  arsenal  where  the  Man- 
chus  had  their  best  guns  stored  was  stormed  by 
the  Revolutionary  soldiers  two  days  prior  to  the 
day  set  by  the  Manchu  chief  for  distributing  the 
good  new  guns  to  the  Manchus. 

The  Revolutionaries,  learning  of  the  appointed 
day,  captured  the  good  weapons  from  the  poor 
Manchus  who  tried  to  fight  with  obsolete  rifles 
and  other  poor  weapons  mostly  useless.  The  at- 
tack was  sudden  and  many  of  the  Manchus  were 
so  besotted  by  use  of  opium  that  they  could  not 
have  handled  even  a  rifle  to  defend  themselves, 
so  there  was  a  fearful  slaughter  of  over  ten 
thousand  Manchus.  The  missionaries  heard  the 
shots  and  bursting  of  bombs  and  saw  the  fire, 
and  every  day  asked  what  the  soldiers  were  do- 
ing. 

Always  the  same  reply :    "  Killing  Manchus !  " 
Very  few  escaped.     Only  about  one  hundred, 


^20     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

mostly  old  women,  were  left,  and  scarcely  a 
house.  Several  weeks  later,  Mr.  Ellison  saw  the 
terrible  results — heaps  of  skulls  lying  in  the 
streets. 

The  Beckman  family  lived  in  the  Swedish  mis- 
sion which  was  attacked  by  ruffians  (not  Revo- 
lutionaries) on  October  23rd.  Mrs.  Beckman 
and  six  Swedish  school-girls  were  killed.  Also 
Mr.  Vehne  and  Mrs.  Beckman's  sixteen-year-old 
daughter.  When  the  place  was  attacked  about 
midnight,  Mr.  Vehne  helped  the  young  girl  over 
the  city  wall  and  they  escaped  to  a  village  forty 
li  away,  where  the  people  were  kind  and  cared 
for  them  till  a  scoundrel  wJao  dogged  their  steps 
came  to  the  village  and  incited  the  people  to  kill 
them.  Mr.  Beckman  tried  to  save  his  wife  and 
family  by  picking  a  hole  through  the  city  wall, 
hoping  to  save  all  the  others,  too,  in  that  way, 
but  the  ruffians  attacked  them  and  they  became 
separated.  Mr.  Beckman  only  succeeded  in  sav- 
ing his  youngest  child,  three  years  old.  He  es- 
caped to  a  deep  moat  of  water  which  was  around 
the  city  wall  and  stood  for  two  hours  waist  deep 
in  the  middle  of  this  moat,  holding  his  child  on 
his  shoulder.  The  Chinese  waited  on  all  sides 
of  the  moat  except  on  one  very  steep  side,  and 
he  heard  them  say: 

"  No  use  to  watch  that  side,  it  is  too  steep. 
He  could  not  possibly  get  up,  and  we  can  easily 
get  him  in  the  morning." 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     221 

It  was  then  very  dark  and  all  were  tired,  and 
no  Chinaman  Hkes  to  get  wet  wading  in  moats, 
so  they  extinguished  their  torches  and  slept. 
Slowly  Mr.  Beckman  crossed  the  water  to  the 
steep  side  and  placed  his  child  high  up  on  a  ledge. 
It  cried  at  first,  but  he  took  it  down  again  and 
whispered,  "  Don't  cry,"  and  the  second  time  it 
was  quiet,  and  with  great  difficulty  he  crawled 
up  and  got  off  with  his  child  and  back  to  the 
city. 

Appearing  at  the  English  Baptist  Mission  door, 
he  held  out  his  child  in  his  arms,  saying :  "  This 
is  all  I've  got !  "  While  standing  in  the  moat, 
he  had  heard  the  Chinese  say  how  they  had  killed 
his  wife  and  children.  Mr.  Beckman  took  refuge 
with  the  English  Baptists  in  their  mission. 

Dr.  Charter  was  called  out  to  attend  the  post- 
master, Mr.  Henne,  who  was  hurt  in  the  street. 
He  was  gone  twenty-two  hours,  as  he  could  not 
get  through  the  riotous  mob  on  the  streets.  In 
his  absence,  Mrs.  Charter  and  a  single  lady  were 
alone  with  the  baby,  who  was  dying.  Many 
rioters  beat  at  their  gate,  shouting :  "  Open ! 
Open !  "  They  were  Mohammedans.  An  hour 
after  Dr.  Charter  returned  the  child  died. 

Mr.  Ellison  said  their  faithful  servant  came 
rushing  in,  sobbing,  and  telling  them  of  the 
murders  of  the  Beckmans,  and  urged  them  to 
flee  at  once,  as  the  soldiers  were  coming  in  an 
hour's  time.    They  now  feel  it  would  have  been 


S22    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

better  if  they  had  all  remained,  but  they  left  in 
three  parties — one  party,  Rev.  Donald  and  Mrs. 
Smith  with  some  school-girls;  another  party  of 
school-girls  in  care  of  trusty  Chinese  Christians. 
The  remaining  missionaries  formed  the  third 
party,  and  these  all  had  only  gone  about  three 
li  out  when  they  were  set  upon  by  about  a  hun- 
dred rude  boys  and  young  men,  who  rushed 
down  the  side  of  a  very  high  mound  where  they 
were  standing  watching  the  burning  of  the 
Manchu  city.  Pell-mell  they  rushed  at  the  little 
band  of  foreigners,  hurling  clods  of  earth  and 
hooting  and  jeering  at  them.  They  stole  all  their 
bedding,  tearing  it  off  the  backs  of  the  animals. 
The  leaders  of  the  mob  prevented  the  mission- 
aries from  mounting  upon  the  animals,  and  told 
them  they  must  go  back  to  the  city. 

Some  cried :  "  Better  get  swords  and  kill  them 
now ! " 

They  robbed  the  missionaries,  two  and  three 
of  the  robbers  impatiently  tearing  out  each 
pocket  to  get  the  silver.  Mr.  Stanley  took  his 
silver  in  both  hands  and  threw  it  over  their 
heads,  and  thus  gave  the  mob  a  great  chase  to  get 
it,  so  relieving  the  pressure  about  his  person. 

Mr.  Ellison  said  it  was  "  most  exciting  to  hear 
the  mob  tell  the  various  ways  they  meant  to  kill 
them ;  "  but  as  soon  as  they  had  seen  the  mission- 
aries inside  the  gate  of  the  city,  strange  to  say, 
the  mob  left  them ! 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     223 

They  returned  to  the  mission  which  was  un- 
touched, and  all  sat  together  and  held  a  prayer 
service.  After  this,  the  good  news  came  to 
them  that  the  Revolutionary  soldiers  had  ordered 
that  the  missionaries  were  not  to  be  disturbed, 
and  soldiers  came  to  protect  them.  They  lived 
in  peace  for  two  months  and  carried  on  their 
work.  All  the  school-girls  came  back  safe.  Then 
came  a  relief  party  of  nine  men,  headed  by  Rev. 
Keyte,  brave  men,  who  nobly  risked  their  lives 
going  on  this  extremely  perilous  journey,  but 
they  secured  the  protection  of  Revolutionary  sol- 
diers, and  after  some  adventures  reached  the 
mission  in  safety.  In  this  party  were  two  hunt- 
ers, who,  under  the  Carnegie  Institute,  hunt  and 
stuff  birds  and  animals  for  Washington,  D.  C. 
One  was  a  tobacconist,  who  always  disliked  mis- 
sionaries before,  but  came  to  alter  his  opinion. 

Then  Yuan  Shih  K'ai  sent  word  for  them  all 
to  come  out,  sending  an  escort  of  soldiers  for 
them,  and  so  they  travelled  through  a  stretch  of 
villages  entirely  deserted.  Even  the  inn-keepers 
had  run  away,  so  wherever  they  rested  at  night 
they  just  "  collared  "  an  inn.  On  the  way  out 
over  the  country  they  came  to  a  place  where  the 
soldiers  were  getting  out  their  artillery  preparing 
for  a  battle.  They  had  been  fighting  the  day  be- 
fore and  were  about  to  begin  again,  but,  strange 
to  say,  they  actually  suspended  their  battle  until 
the  entire  missionary  party  had  passed  through. 


224    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

Ghastly  was  the  sight  that  met  their  gaze  as  they 
made  their  way  along  through  slaughtered  hosts 
of  people  lying  stark  over  the  ground.  The  la- 
dies closed  their  eyes  till  their  carts  had  passed 
to  a  peaceful  region.  After  much  inconvenience 
they  finally  reached  Peking  in  safety  and  trav- 
elled on  the  railroad  at  the  expense  of  the  Chi- 
nese Government. 

"  Do  the  missionaries  flinch  in  the  hour  of 
trial  ?  "  says  an  editor.  "  In  the  great  city  of 
Si-an-fu  a  sentence  entered  my  heart  spoken  by 
a  gentle  woman  as  naturally  as  one  might  say 
"  Good  morning." 

We  sat  together  planning  for  an  advance  in 
the  province  of  Shensi,  and  the  question  arose, 
"  Who  would  go  forward  and  occupy  a  certain 
city  further  north."  After  prayer  and  confer- 
ence, it  seemed  as  if  by  general  consent  one 
brother  was  designated,  and  he  expressed  his 
willingness  to  go  if  his  wife  were  also  willing. 
It  meant  facing  loneliness,  enduring  hardship, 
danger,  and  many  discomforts,  and  yet  when 
she  was  asked  whether  she  would  go,  she  smiled 
and  quietly  replied :  "  I  am  here  on  business  for 
my  King."  I  truthfully  declare  that  I  am 
thrilled  from  head  to  foot  even  as  I  write  the 
words.  There  was  no  parade  of  courage  nor 
call  for  sympathy.  Such  things  were  all  in  the 
day's  work  for  one  who  had  long  ago  made  the 
great  surrender.     Well,  it  was  business  for  the 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     225 

King,  and  He  would  not  forget."     "  And  He 
said  unto  them,  Where  is  your  Faith?  " 


BATTLE  HYMN  OF  THE  REPUBLIC 

Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory  of  the  coming  of  the 

Lord; 
He  is  tramping  out  the  vintage  where  the  grapes  of 

wrath  are  stored; 
He  hath  loosed  the  fateful  lightning  of  His  terrible 

swift  sword: 
Our  God  is  marching  on — 

Glory,  glory  !     Hallelujah  ! 
His  truth  is  marching  on. 


I  have  seen  Him  in  the  watch-fires  of  a  hundred 

circling  camps; 
They   have    builded   Him   an   altar   in   the    evening 

dews  and  damps; 
I  can  read  His  righteous  sentence  by  the  dim  and 

flaring  lamps; 
Our  God  is  marching  on. 


He  has  sounded  forth  the  trumpet  that  shall  never 
call  retreat; 

He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  His  judg- 
ment-seat ; 

Oh,  be  swift,  my  soul,  to  answer  Him,  be  jubilant, 
my  feet. 

Our  God  is  marching  on. 


226    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

In  the  beauty  of  the  lilies,  Christ  was  born  across 

the  sea, 
With  a  glory  in  His  bosom  that  transfigures  you  and 

me: 
As  He  died  to  make  men  holy,  let  us  live  to  make 

men  free, 
While  God  is  marching  on." 

— ^JuLiA  W.  Howe. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


ANNIVERSARY   DAY  OF  THE   REPUBLIC   OF 
CHINA 


ON  October  loth,  1911,  the  first  outbreak 
of  the  Revolution  in  Wu  Chang  began, 
and  on  October  loth,  1912,  I  arrived  in 
Shanghai,  on  the  great  patriotic  festival  day, 
celebrating  the  first  "  Independence  Day "  in 
China.  As  we  sailed  in  the  harbour,  all  Shang- 
hai was  gay  and  brilliant  with  Republican  flags 
fluttering  all  along  the  water's  edge.  Even  in 
that  early  morning  hour,  the  people  were  out, 
busily  preparing  their  holiday.  The  city  was 
decorated  everywhere,  in  the  Chinese  sections  of 
both  the  foreign  settlement  and  the  native  city, 
where  acres  of  bunting  and  five-colored  flags  of 
the  Republic  were  hung  up,  and  myriads  of  pa- 
per lanterns  and  electric  incandescents  trans- 
formed the  streets  into  brilliant  spectacles.  The 
Republican  flag  floated  from  every  house-top. 
Many  receptions  were  held,  bands  played,  and 
there  were  military  processions  and  two  big 
torchlight  and  lantern  parades.  Thousands  of 
soldiers,  volunteers,  firemen,  merchants  and 
227 


228    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

20,000  students  all  took  part  in  the  demonstra- 
tions. The  World's  Students'  Federation  sub- 
scribed a  good  sum  of  money  to  entertain  the 
poor,  helpless  children,  and  orphans,  who  cele- 
brated and  feasted  as  heartily  as  their  more 
fortunate  brothers.  Receptions  were  held  at  the 
Chinese  General  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the 
headquarters  of  the  Chapei,  the  city  volunteers 
and  fire  brigade  and  the  Chinese  company  of 
Shanghai  Volunteer  Corps.  Also  receptions 
were  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  various  po- 
litical societies,  the  native  courts  and  councils, 
the  World's  Chinese  Students'  Federation  and 
the  guilds.  All  banks  and  stores  were  closed, 
and  all  China  had  a  glorious  holiday. 

The  Chinese  deserved  to  have  a  joyful  time, 
for  the  Chinese  revolution  is  a  remarkable 
achievement  without  a  parallel  in  modern  his- 
tory. Twelve  months  from  the  first  act  of  re- 
bellion has  found  a  two-centuries-and-a-half  es- 
tablished government  by  Manchu  oppressors, 
completely  overthrown.  The  new  regime  is  wel- 
comed by  the  almost  unanimous  sympathy  and 
approval  of  civilization.  It  is  hailed  as  a  defi- 
nite breaking  with  the  archaic  past,  and  the  en- 
trance of  China  into  the  family  of  modern  na- 
tions. On  December  15th,  19 12,  a  great  meet- 
ing was  held  to  form  the  Upper  and  Lower 
House  and  establish  a  permanent  government. 

Mr.  T.  R.  Jernigan,  former  U.  S.  Consul  Gen- 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     229 

eral  at  Hong  Kong  and  Shanghai,  says :  "  The 
foreigner  who  has  resided  in  China  knows  that 
under  the  government  of  the  Manchu  there  was 
no  government,  in  a  w^estern  sense,  in  China. 
The  president  of  the  RepubHc  entered  upon  his 
duties  without  compass  or  chart.  He  found  no 
governmental  machinery  suitable  as  a  guide  in 
the  great  change  which  the  country  had  under- 
gone. The  Stuarts  of  England  had  usurped  and 
nullified  the  law,  but  Cromwell  formed  the  law 
on  the  Statute  Book,  and  restored  it.  Washing- 
ton had  before  him  the  Statute  law  of  England 
and  the  decisions  of  the  English  courts.  But 
President  Yuan  had  no  such  precedents,  and  he 
has  to  develop  out  of  a  new  order  of  the  national 
situation  the  principles  to  assure  its  stability  and 
make  it  beneficial  for  the  people.  If  the  Repub- 
lic has  not  moved  along  faster,  it  should  not  be, 
under  the  circumstances,  a  discouraging  aspect. 
The  really  encouraging  aspect  is  the  effort  to 
establish  a  judicial  system  to  warrant  confidence 
in  its  competency  and  integrity.  The  young 
men  of  China  who  have  graduated  in  the  law 
schools  of  the  West  and  returned  home  are  now 
engaged  in  framing  a  system  of  courts  for  their 
country  which  will  remove  the  stigixia  that  has 
so  long  rested  upon  a  Chinese  court.  The  influ- 
ence of  England  is  greatly  due  to  the  incorrupti- 
bility of  her  courts,  and  in  the  American  govern- 
ment the  meaning  of  the  organic  law  is  left  to 


230    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

the  interpretation  of  a  Supreme  Court.  Thus  it 
appears  that  the  two  more  prosperous  nations  of 
the  world  recognize  the  necessity  that  their  courts 
must  be  free  of  reproach. 

Another  favorable  aspect  for  the  Republic  is 
that  the  people  of  China  are  inherently  demo- 
cratic. The  lessons  taught  by  their  Sages  have 
impressed  on  them  the  democratic  idea.  Confu- 
cius inculcates  the  doctrine  that  the  people  have 
the  right  to  dethrone  an  unjust  Emperor,  and 
Mencius,  more  democratic  still,  taught  that  "  the 
people  were  of  the  highest  importance,  the  gods 
come  second,  the  Sovereign  is  of  lesser  weight." 
China  is  the  only  Asiatic  nation  whose  people 
have  been  schooled  in  the  belief  that  with  them 
resided  ultimate  Sovereign  power,  and  this  fact 
promises  well  for  the  Republic.  Even  when  the 
Manchu  despotism  was  entrenched  strongest,  it 
sometimes  yielded  to  the  influence  of  public  opin- 
ion, and  the  abolition  of  the  opium  habit  show^ 
what  can  be  accomplished  by  an  organized  public 
sentiment  in  China. 

But  evidently  the  West  is  not  convinced  that 
the  Republic  is  permanently  established,  as  rec- 
ognition is  still  withheld  and  there  is  also  mani- 
fested a  want  of  confidence  in  regard  to  busi- 
ness, because  the  principal  banks  of  the  West  re- 
fuse to  loan  the  government  money,  except  upon 
the  condition  of  supervising  the  expenditure. 
The  mistrust  thus  evidenced  will  have  to  be  re- 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     231 

moved  ere  the  Republic  of  China  will  te  admit- 
ted to  a  seat  in  the  International  Council  of  Na- 
tions, and  the  doubt  shown,  as  to  the  stability 
of  the  present  form  of  government  and  its  finan- 
cial uprightness,  is  not,  unfortunately,  shared 
alone  by  the  West.  A  large  majority  of  the  sub- 
stantial native  business  men  of  China  entertain 
a  similar  doubt,  specially  with  reference  to 
money  and  its  judicious  use  by  those  in  author- 
ity and  when  the  misgivings  indicated  are  re- 
placed by  acts  of  administrative  competency  and 
fidelity,  then  and  only  then  will  appear  the 
brightest  aspect  for  the  Republic  and  the  pur- 
pose of  the  revolution  realized.  It  is  just,  how- 
ever, that  the  difficulties  which  the  new  govern- 
ment has  encountered  be  patiently  appreciated  by 
the  West,  and  unjust  to  condemn  it  for  not 
emerging  from  a  situation  that  would  tax  experi- 
enced statesmen." 

NORTH  AND  SOUTH  UNITED,  DECLARES  PRESIDENT 
YUAN  SHIH   k'aI 

President  Yuan  Shih  K'ai,  in  his  anniversary 
pronunciamento  published  on  Anniversary  Day, 
October  loth,  1912,  takes  Washington  as  his 
model  and  guide,  praises  the  men  who  led  the 
Revolution;  expresses  confidence  in  the  future; 
aims  to  break  up  the  stubborn  conservatism  of 
the  people  and  lead  them  into  consonance  with 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 


the  world's  views.  He  says :  "  When  the  Nan- 
king Government  had  been  disbanded,  Dr.  Sun 
Yat  Sen  and  Mr.  Huang  Hsing  remained  the 
foremost  men  of  their  time,  and  I  was  most 
emphatic  in  urging  them  to  come  to  Peking. 
Since  that  event  took  place,  the  last  trace  of  the 
suspicion  formerly  existing  between  North  and 
South  has  melted  away  like  the  melting  of  ice. 
It  became  possible  to  unite  with  these  two  gentle- 
men in  the  drawing  up  of  Eight  Articles  setting 
forth  the  Government's  fundamental  policies  in 
all  that  concerns  internal  administration." 
The  following  are  the: 

GOVERNMENT        POLICIES        AGREED 

UPON  BY  PRESIDENT  YUAN   SHIH 

K'AI,    VICE-PRESIDENT    LI    YUAN 

HUNG,  DR.  SUN  YAT  SEN,  AND 

FIELD  MARSHAL  HUANG  HSING 

I.  In  the  creation  of  the  Nation  the  attain- 
ment of  unity  will  be  the  settled  policy. 

II.  A  sincere  discrimination  between  right 
and  wrong  will  be  the  guiding  principle,  that  the 
people  may  be  morally  improved. 

III.  The  creation  of  an  army  and  navy  will 
be  for  the  present  postponed.  The  training  of 
the  necessary  men  will  be  the  first  thing  at- 
tended to. 

IV.  The  doors  will  be  opened  to  the  intro- 
duction of  foreign  capital  for  the  development 
of  railways  and  mines  and  the  erection  of  steel 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    233 

and  iron  plants,  thus  conducing  to  the  material 
prosperity  of  the  people. 

V.  Popular  subsidized  industrial  enterprises 
will  be  inaugurated,  and  the  beginnings  will  be 
made  in  the  fields  of  agriculture,  forestry,  manu- 
factures, and  commerce. 

VI.  Control  over  military  matters,  foreign  re- 
lations, governmental  finance,  laws,  and  commu- 
nications will  be  vested  in  the  central  govern- 
ment; other  interests  will  be  relegated  to  local 
control  as  the  conditions  of  the  provinces  may 
warrant. 

VII.  The  finances  of  the  nation  will  be  put 
on  an  organized  footing  in  the  shortest  possible 
time. 

VIII.  As  the  Sine  Qua  Non  of  recognition 
of  the  Republic  by  other  nations,  eflForts  will  be 
made  to  reconcile  party  differences  and  to  pre- 
serve peace  and  order. 

DR.   SUN   YAT  SEn's  VISIT  TO   PEKING 

Dr.  Sun  arrived  in  Peking  August  24th  by 
special  train,  which  was  hauled  by  a  gaily  deco- 
rated locomotive.  A  brightly  colored  triumphal 
arch  had  been  erected  in  the  station  yard, 
guarded  by  strong  military  hosts,  to  avoid  any 
tragedy  on  arrival,  and  tickets  were  issued  only 
to  those  specially  permitted.  Such  a  military 
demonstration  as  was  witnessed  on  this  occasion 
has  seldom  been  seen  in  Peking.  The  President 
had  issued  orders  that  the  strictest  possible  pre- 
cautions were  to  be  adopted  to  ensure  the  safety 


234    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

of  his  guest,  and  from  Feugtai  to  Peking  (about 
seven  miles)  both  sides  of  the  railway  were  lined 
by  troops  posted,  facing  inwards  and  outwards 
alternately,  with  their  rifles  at  the  '*  ready."  Sol- 
diers were  drawn  up  on  each  platform  at  the  sta- 
tion. The  five-colored  flag  of  the  Republic  was 
in  evidence  everywhere,  not  only  at  the  railroad 
station,  but  in  every  thorough  fare  in  Peking.  A 
dense  crowd  of  spectators,  Chinese  and  foreign, 
gathered,  including  Chinese  military  and  naval 
officers  resplendent  in  new  uniforms,  members 
of  the  Cabinet  in  frock  coats  and  top  hats,  at 
least  three  military  bands,  each  of  which  played 
independently  and  added  to  the  din  as  the  train 
came  to  a  standstill,  and  the  officials  deputed  by 
the  President  to  welcome  Dr.  Sun  entered  his 
car;  while  the  crowd  surged,  waving  hats  in  the 
air  and  cheering.  Dr.  Sun  rode  from  the  sta- 
tion in  a  magnificent  barouche,  upholstered  in 
satin  of  imperial  yellow,  which  had  wheels  of 
bright  red  and  drawn  by  two  white  horses.  The 
troops  presented  arms,  and  a  squadron  of  Chi- 
nese cavalry  closed  in  around  Dr.  Sun's  carriage 
as  he  left  the  station.  He  was  accommodated  in 
the  new  Foreign  Office  building,  which  was 
elaborately  prepared  for  his  reception. 

Dr.  Sun  and  President  Yuan  held  a  confer- 
ence of  many  hours  on  August  25th,  and  both 
afterwards  declared  that  they  were  in  perfect 
agreement  on  all  important  questions. 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     235 

Dr.  Sun  addressed  two  leading  political  soci- 
eties, visited  the  T'ung  Ming  Hui  Club,  and  de- 
clared his  personal  desire  to  see  Yuan  Shih  K'ai 
appointed  President,  and  said  he  would  work  for 
that  end.  He  said  he  would  urge  everywhere 
the  necessity  of  establishing  a  strong  central 
government  and  the  development  of  the  eco- 
nomic resources  of  the  country,  particularly  the 
railways. 

He  says  in  his  anniversary  speech  : 

"  Imagine  what  America  would  be  today 
without  her  railways.  Then  believe  that  China 
will  remain  ever  the  same  unless  railways  are 
built. 

"  The  full  details  of  my  plan  for  the  con- 
struction of  railways  are  not,  of  course,  worked 
out  but,  in  a  general  way  we  know  what  we  are 
going  to  do.  There  will  be  numerous  great 
trunk  lines  crossing  the  country  from  end  to 
end.  Hi  will  know  Shantung,  Moukden  will 
have  a  speaking  acquaintance  with  Canton,  and 
Yunnanfu  will  consider  Taiyuanfu  as  a  brother. 
Wonderful  is  the  future  when  China  becomes 
fully  acquainted  with  herself  and  realizes  what 
can  be  done.  No  longer  will  provincial  distinc- 
tions cause  friction;  in  time,  it  is  reasonable 
to  suppose,  this  increased  intercourse  will  bring 
about  the  disappearance  of  the  dialects  and 
China  will  have  a  common  language. 

"  There  is  to  be  a  trunk  line  from  Shanghai 
to  Hi.  Another  trunk  will  run  from  Canton  to 
Kassar,  and  still  another  from  Canton  to  Tibet, 
via  Yunanful.     The  Yangtsze  valley,  the  trans- 


236     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

cendentally  important  trade  centre  of  the  Empire 
will  be  edged  with  new  lines.  Curiously  enough, 
Lanchoufu  in  Kansu,  will  become  a  very  impor- 
tant center  because  there  will  be  as  many  as 
thirteen  railways  centering  at  that  city. 


CAPITALS    TO    BE    RAILWAY    CENTRES 

"  The  capitals  of  all  the  provinces  will  be  rail- 
way centres.  From  these  important  cities  lines 
will  radiate  in  every  direction  until  every  capital 
will  have  eight  or  nine  railways  leading  from  it. 
This  may  sound  as  though  China  will  be  literally 
swamped  with  railways,  but  the  size  of  the  coun- 
try should  be  remembered.  Even  when  this 
project  is  completed  there  will  be  room  for  more 
construction.  And  it  is  probable  that  the  com- 
mercial development  of  the  country  will  require 
more  lines. 

"  Completion  of  the  present  plan  means  com- 
mercial prosperity,  increased  riches,  better  and 
more  markets,  justifying  and  encouraging  in- 
creased production,  but  most  of  all  it  means 
unity,  and  that  is  most  important  for  unity 
means  self-preservation.  Once  unified  and  pros- 
perous China  will  stand  as  a  great  nation  of  the 
world,  not  to  be  trifled  with  nor  imposed  upon 
nor  partitioned.  The  time  is  coming  when  China 
can  hold  her  own  and  prevent  foreign  aggres- 
sion." 

The  Empress  Dowager  did  her  part  in  honor- 
ing the  great  revolutionary  hero.  She  received 
him  at  the  Summer  Palace  and  Baby  King,  on 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     23T 

his  good  behaviour,  standing  by  his  tutor  on  the 
lawn,  dressed  in  his  stately  Httle  yellow  silk 
robes.  It  is  said  his  young  Highness  keeps 
everybody  around  the  palace  busy  with  his 
pranks.  He  enjoys  himself  very  much  on  a 
rainy  day,  running  outside  in  his  costly  little  gar- 
ments, and  plays  about  as  long  as  he  likes,  and 
then  calling  to  the  eunuchs  to  come  and  get  him, 
he  will  wade  out  in  the  deepest  puddles  and 
laugh  and  clap  his  hands  with  glee,  as  he  watches 
the  eunuchs  who  have  to  wade  out  after  him, 
and  say  or  do  nothing  to  offend  the  "  Son  of 
heaven." 

President  Yuan  gave  a  feast  to  Dr.  Sun  in 
Peking,  and  the  Chinese  everywhere  feel  that 
this  visit  has  healed  all  differences  between  North 
and  South,  and  henceforth  the  united  Republic 
is  a  success. 

Dr.  Sun  also  visited  Tsingtau,  the  German 
port  at  Shantung,  and  was  welcomed  by  the  Chi- 
nese in  the  Government  school  and  in  the  chapel, 
which  was  crowded  with  eager  loyal  listeners. 
His  dialect  was  not  well  understood,  but  he  ex- 
horted all  to  be  loyal  and  uphold  the  principles 
of  truth  and  honesty.  His  visit  was  coincident 
with  the  visit  to  Tsingtau  of  the  German  Prince 
Heinrich,  who  arrived  a  few  days  previous  and 
was  enthusiastically  received  by  the  Germans 
there,  civil  and  mihtary.  On  a  previous  visit  of 
Prince  Henry  to  China,  as  he  entered  the  Astor 


238    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

House  in  Shanghai,  his  retainers  asked  the  clerk 
to  prepare  a  room  for  the  great  German  Prince. 
Not  at  all  awed  by  royalty,  the  clerk  shouted: 
"  Boy !  want  room  top  side  one  piecee  Princee ! 
Savvey?" 

AMNESTY   PROCLAMATION 

Forgives  Enemies 

President  Yuan  Shih  K'ai  issued  on  October 
9th  a  mandate,  stating :  "  A  Republic  is  the  best 
form  of  government  in  the  world,  and  the  Par- 
liament is  the  keynote  of  the  policy  of  the  Re- 
public. I,  the  President,  have  acted  in  every- 
thing with  the  object  of  maintaining  unity  and 
restoring  order  ever  since  my  acceptance  of 
office.  For  only  after  unity  comes  order,  and 
then  alone  can  we  plan  the  constructional  work 
of  the  Republic.  The  essential  points  in  con- 
structional work  should  all  be  decided  by  the 
Parliament.  The  election  of  members  is  an  equi- 
table privilege  of  the  five  great  Popular  fam- 
ilies. The  chief  point  to  be  observed  is  that  not 
the  slightest  omission  owing  to  laxity  may  hap- 
pen during  the  course  of  preparations.  Thereby 
the  Parliament  when  established  may  have  true 
energy  and  spirit.  When  the  nation's  basis  is 
strengthened,  the  power  of  the  people  will  cer- 
tainly expand,  for  which  state  I,  the  President, 
entertain  the  fondest  hope." 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     S39 

"  During  the  latter  part  of  the  rule  of  the 
former  Ch'ing,  the  officials  and  the  gentry  of 
various  provinces  had  in  their  suppression  of 
revolutionaries,  arrested  and  killed  the  innocent, 
and  had  acted  perhaps  over-violently.  Yet  they 
were  impelled  to  do  so  by  their  duty  and  office. 
Now  the  Republic  has  triumphed,  all  persons  are 
permitted  to  lead  a  new  life.  The  past  should 
of  course  be  buried  in  oblivion,  and  men  should 
help  each  other  to  begin  life  again.  The  officials 
and  gentry  of  old  are  still  mostly  in  hiding  in 
doubt  and  fear,  or  in  some  cases  under  the  pro- 
tection of  questionable  people.  Our  officials  and 
their  underlings,  who  do  not  understand  mag- 
nanimity, are  persecuting  them  now  and  then, 
and  even  throwing  them  into  prison  upon  their 
return  home.  These  acts  are  contrary  to  the  true 
principle  of  Republicanism.  The  administrative 
superior  officials  of  the  provinces  are  hereby  no- 
tified that  with  the  exception  of  those  committing 
offences  at  present,  no  further  persecution  shall 
be  made  with  regard  to  crimes  committed  prior 
to  the  Revolution  Those  who  have  emigrated  or 
fled  somewhere  else  shall  be  permitted  to  return 
each  to  his  own  native  town  and  pursue  a  quiet 
livelihood." 

DR.  Morrison's  hopeful  view  of  the  republic 

Dr.  Morrison,  late  correspondent  of  the  Lon- 
don Times,  now  adviser  of  the  Chinese  Govern- 


240     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

ment,  during  his  recent  visit  to  England,  has  in- 
spired with  hope  the  skeptical  editors  of  the  vari- 
ous leading  newspapers  who  declined  to  believe 
that  an  oriental  nation,  steeped  in  the  tradition  of 
autocracy  and  the  sentiment  of  kingship,  could 
find  in  a  republic  a  secure  form  of  political  or- 
ganization. The  marked  change  of  tone  shows 
in  the  following  condensed  article  in  the  Ob- 
server: 

**  We  see  China  as  through  a  glass,  darkly. 
The  predicted  collapse  somehow  does  not  come 
to  pass.  The  sturdy  President,  Yuan  Shih-k'ai, 
manages  in  some  undiscernible  manner  to  main- 
tain his  place.  His  rivals  either  conclude  to 
obey  him,  or  seek  the  alternative  of  retirement. 
Dr.  Sun  Yat  Sen  appears  in  a  transient  blaze  of 
glory  at  Peking,  and  vanishes  once  more  upon 
mysterious  and  unrecorded  missions.  Money 
comes  in,  we  do  not  quite  know  how,  but  ap- 
parently it  suffices  for  the  moment.  The  ma- 
chinery of  government  would  stop  in  a  day  if 
China  was  absolutely  penniless.  We  suspect 
that  large  numbers  of  high  officials  must  have 
heavy  arrears  of  pay,  but  they  say  no  word. 

*'  And  within  the  mists  that  cloud  the  East 
we  see  dim  visions  of  the  manifold  activities 
of  trade,  which  continues  unchecked.  All 
through  the  Middle  Kingdom  the  myriads  are 
toiling,  the  great  rivers  swarm  with  craft,  the 
seas  without  are  ceaselessly  threaded  by  ships. 
If  China  seems  paralyzed  her  heart  still  throbs. 
But  is  China  really  paralyzed?  We  doubt  it. 
Amid  the  confusion  we  catch  glimpses  of  high 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     241 

endeavor,  stray  gropings  after  light,  disorgan- 
ised struggles  to  evolve  new  beginnings  out  of 
chaos.  Perhaps  the  most  wonderful  character- 
istic of  China  is  her  inlinite  capacity  to  survive 
the  severest  shocks.  An  imperial  dynasty  passes, 
but  through  the  dust  of  its  overthrow  we  descry 
the  countless  millions  still  slaving  for  their  daily 
bread.  They  '  suffer  still,  and  grieve,'  but  they 
represent  that  impregnable  solidity  which  en- 
ables China  to  endure  the  most  formidable  re- 
verses. Nearly  four  hundred  millions  of  the 
most  industrious  people  on  earth  cannot  well  be- 
come moribund,  as  the  late  Lord  Salisbury  once 
said. 

"  It  was  said  that  the  President  would  soon 
be  assassinated,  but  he  still  lives.  It  was  said 
that  China  would  fall  into  three  or  four  inde- 
pendent sections,  but  it  still  hangs  together.  It 
was  said  that  the  provinces  would  lapse  into  in- 
extinguishable civil  strife,  but  the  whole  vast 
Empire  has  gradually  become  almost  uncannily 
quiet.  It  was  said  that  China  would  become 
bankrupt  and  that  trade  would  abruptly  stop, 
but  funds  still  dribble  into  Peking  and  the  re- 
turns show  that  the  volume  of  trade  is  just  now 
unusually  large.  China,  in  short,  still  survives 
and  though  some  doleful  predictions  about  her 
may  still  be  realised,  we  have  to  remember  that 
they  show  no  present  likelihood  of  being  ful- 
filled." 

FORM    OF    GOVERNMENT 

"  It  is  not,  after  all,  very  much  the  business 
of  Great  Britain  whether  China  adopts  a  reinib- 
lican  or  any  other  form  of  government.     What 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 


we  want  to  see  in  China,  is  strong  and  stable 
control.  If  a  republic  is  the  only  possible  form 
of  control  at  the  present  moment,  we  should  at 
least  not  endeavor  to  impede  its  establishment. 
We  may  have  our  misgivings,  but  they  should 
not  lead  us  into  active  opposition.  In  helping 
the  Chinese  republic,  we  incidentally  help  our- 
selves. There  is  not  much  altruisrn  in  modern 
international  politics,  and  we  need  not  pause  to 
discover  unselfish  motives  which  are  not  very 
conspicuously  felt.  The  greatest  present  need 
of  China  is  money,  not  money  in  cataracts  and 
without  stint,  but  sufficient  money  to  enable 
the  republic  to  establish  its  new  executive  ad- 
ministration on  a  firm  footing." 


CHAPTER  XXV 


MORAL  PHASES  AND  OUTLOOK  OF  THE 
REVOLUTION 


PRESIDENT  YUAN  and  Dr.    Sun  have 
given  anniversary  manifestos  which  are 
both  characterized  by  that  spirit  of  sin- 
cerity  and   straightforward   singleness    of   pur- 
pose which  have  brought  these  men  to  the  high 
positions  which  they  now  occupy. 

President  Yuan  and  Dr.  Sun  have  been 
charged  with  working  with  motives  of  personal 
ambition,  but  these  charges  must  now  be  laid  to 
rest  with  the  other  premonitions  of  disaster  to 
China. 

If  Dr.  Sun  is  ambitious  for  personal  power  in 
China,  his  greatest  obstacle  would  be  in  the  per- 
son of  Yuan  Shih  K'ai.  Conversely,  if  Presi- 
dent Yuan  entertains  ideas  of  becoming  the  Na- 
poleon of  China,  the  first  and  strongest  opposi- 
tion he  would  find  would  be  in  Dr.  Sun.  Yet 
each  in  his  articles  written  for  The  China  Press 
takes  occasion  to  express  his  friendship  for  the 
other. 

243 


2U     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 


GENERAL  LI  S  ANNIVERSARY  MESSAGE 

Reuter's  Pacific  Special  to  the  China  Press 
Wu-CHANG,  October  9. — The  Vice-President 
has  issued  a  long  manifesto,  in  which  he  says : 

"  To  Hupeh  belongs  the  glory  of  beginning 
the  Revolution.  The  aims  of  the  martyrs  who 
lost  their  lives  for  the  cause  have  been  accom- 
plished. During  the  year  there  have  been  many 
disturbances  and  executions  which  have  caused 
me  much  grief.  The  martyrs  died  for  the  Re- 
public and  not  for  anarchy.  One  revolution  is 
enough  and  constitutional  methods  should  be 
used  to  effect  other  changes.  Both  soldiers  and 
the  people  should  attend  to  their  duty  and  be 
diligent  in  their  work  so  that  they  may  strength- 
en and  enrich  the  country.  Thus  will  you  emu- 
late the  public  spirit  of  the  departed  heroes 
whose  memory  you  will  celebrate  tomorrow." 

Dr.  Timothy  Richard,  of  the  Chinese  Chris- 
tian Literature  Society  says : 

"  Along  with  the  China  Revolution,  we  have 
witnessed  a  wonderful  ferment  in  religious  cir- 
cles. A  Society  calling  itself  the  Universal  Re- 
ligious Society  was  formed  in  Shanghai  and  it 
held  a  public  meeting  in  Chang  Su  Ho's  garden 
hall,  the  biggest  in  Shanghai.  Over  two  thou- 
sand men  and  women  attended  and  hundreds 
could  not  get  in  for  want  of  room.  This  So- 
ciety consisted  of  Christians  and  non-Christians, 
but  all  were  Revolutionaries  and  all  believed 
that  the   new  government  could   not  be  stable 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     245 

without  religion  as  a  sound  foundation.  Not 
only  in  Shanghai,  but  in  Yangchow  in  Kiangsu 
Province,  similar  large  gatherings  were  held  ad- 
vocating the  need  of  religion,  and  not  only  non- 
Christians  spoke  but  the  military  governor  in- 
vited Christian  leaders  to  explain  the  Christian 
religion  to  the  meeting.  The  same  thing  hap- 
pened in  Peking,  the  leaders  of  all  religions  were 
anxious  to  have  a  clear  discussion  on  the  uni- 
versal value  of  religion  to  all  nations. 

''  What  is  the  outlook  ?  We  hope  when  the 
permanent  government  which  is  soon  to  be  es- 
tablished, will  commence  reconstruction  in  ear- 
nest. We  have  had  enough  of  destructive  policy 
till  the  nation  is  beginning  to  get  tired  of  it.  If 
the  permanent  government  will  organize  modern 
education  in  all  departments,  with  an  efficient 
university  in  every  province,  then  the  rising  gen- 
eration will  have  a  supply  of  able  men  who  can 
undertake  all  departments  of  government,  in- 
cluding that  of  religion. 

*'  At  present  the  priests  of  China,  whether 
Buddhist  or  Taoist,  are  proverbially  ignorant.. 
They  cannot  explain  the  gods  whom  they  wor- 
ship in  their  temples.  Many  of  them  do  not 
know  their  proper  names  or  their  history.  How 
can  they  therefore  be  suitable  guides  for  the  na- 
tion at  large? 

"  This  gives  a  rare  opportunity  for  enlight- 
ened missionaries  to  sympathise  with  this  de- 
sire for  religious  reform. 

"  The  Governor  of  Yunnan — extreme  western 
province  of  China — said :  '  The  greatest  re- 
ligion in  the  world  is  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Before  long  it  will  be  the  religion  of  China.'  " 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE  CHINA  PROPAGANDA 

"  Righteousness  exalteth  a  Nation !  " 

THE  new  National  awakening  and  the  at- 
tendant changing  conditions  in  China, 
following  the  great  political  upheaval, 
have  made  the  past  year  one  of  lively  interest 
for  our  Wei  Hsien  mission,  as  well  as  for  all  the 
China  missionary  body.  While  we  rejoice  in 
the  hopeful  prospects  before  us,  the  increased  in- 
terest in  Western  education,  and  the  widening 
opportunities  for  Christian  service,  giving  us  all 
a  cheerhig  outlook  for  the  future,  yet  feeling  the 
great  need  for  reinforcements  to  "  help  us  to 
garner  in  the  sheaves  of  good  from  the  fields  of 
sin,"  we  humbly  pray  the  Lord  of  the  harvest 
to  bless  the  cause  of  the  China  Propaganda,  that 
there  may  be  many  more  suitable  men  and 
women  added  to  our  force. 

When  the  sad  news  of  the  serious  illness  of 

our  honoured  and  noble  co-worker.  Dr.  Wm.  B. 

Hamilton,  came  to  us,  we  bowed  in  awe  before 

the  shadow  of  death,  and  each  heart  echoed  Dr. 

246 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    247 

Bergen's  prayer  at  that  little  station  meeting: 
*'  We  can't  spare  him  Lord,  we  are  so  few !  " 
But  God,  who  "  standeth  within  the  shadow, 
keeping  watch  above  His  own,"  has  taken  our 
brother,  and  has  taken  Hudson  Taylor  and  Dr. 
Griffith  John  after  fifty  years  of  work  for  Christ 
in  China,  and  many  more  of  the  foremost  mis- 
sionaries, whose  efforts  for  the  spread  of  Chris- 
tianity and  Christian  education  have  done  incal- 
culable good  for  the  Chinese  people.  They  have 
done  their  work  and  God  has  given  them  their 
richly  earned  crown,  bright  with  many  stars  won 
in  China. 

Also  some  of  our  strong  missionaries,  Dr. 
Frank  H.  Chalfant,  and  others,  have  gone  for 
health  reasons  to  America,  and  thus  the  burden 
falls  more  heavily  on  those  still  on  the  field. 
While  the  mighty  movement  going  on  in  China 
calls  for  more  effort  on  the  part  of  the  mission- 
aries, and  realizing  how  direct  and  vital  are  the 
relations  between  the  church  of  Christ  and  the 
present  awakening  in  China,  we  pray  that  God's 
people  at  home  may  rise  and  with  renewed  con- 
secration and  noble  spirit  of  self-sacrifice,  face 
this  great  responsibility,  and  with  willing  hearts 
help  us,  by  freely  giving  for  the  support  of  the 
reinforcements  for  our  ranks. 

I  attended  a  great  meeting  at  the  Hupeh  Road 
Theatre,  Shanghai,  and  heard  Dr.  Sun  Yat  Sen 
address   that   vast   audience,   which  packed  the 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 


building  from  pit  to  the  top  gallery,  where  Mrs. 
Calvin  Mateer  and  I  were  obliged  to  go  to  find 
a  seat.  For  three  hours  that  earnest  speaker 
held  the  floor,  fearlessly  standing  before  all  those 
people,  and  his  gestures  and  quick  flow  of  lang- 
uage were  of  the  liveliest  and  most  earnest  kind, 
his  face  all  alight  with  enthusiasm.  Mrs.  Ma- 
teer and  I  both  thought  how  brave  he  was  to 
place  himself  in  such  a  position  where  he  could 
so  easily  be  shot  at.  Dr.  Sun  was,  while  we  were 
there,  talking  about  the  fundamental  principles 
of  the  Republic  and  territorial  divisions,  and  held 
that  variegated  conditions  attendant  upon  the 
present  industrial  stage  of  China  necessitated 
various  remedies.  He  referred  to  the  principal 
staple  industries.  His  speech,  though  lengthy, 
was  very  instructive.  People  drank  tea  as  they 
listened,  tea-pots  and  bowls  being  placed  con- 
veniently all  through  the  house,  and  I  observed 
many  Chinese  women  among  the  audience. 

Now,  friends  at  home,  give  us  more  mission- 
aries, more  schools,  more  means  for  carrying  on 
this  work  for  Christ  in  China !  Oh,  the  need !  I 
am  utterly  helpless  to  picture  the  need.  These 
young  people,  so  many  of  them  growing  up  so 
fast,  and  the  dangers  and  temptations  so  grave, 
so  many  falling  into  sin. 

Then  there  are  errors  creeping  into  the  very 
fold.  The  church  in  China  and  the  church  at 
home  must  be  vigilant  and  wide  awake  and  stand 


Reverend  George  F.  Fitch,  D.D., 
Founder  of    Presbyterian    Mission    Press,    Shanghai,   China 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    249 

firmly  for  the  truth,  giving  no  place  to  the 
enemy.  This  is  a  supreme  crisis  in  the  history 
of  China,  and  when  we  hear  of  the  various  er- 
rors which  threaten  to  delude  the  Americans  as 
well  as  the  Chinese  people,  and  lower  the  stand- 
ards of  our  blessed  true  faith,  we  feel  like  call- 
ing upon  the  church  of  Christ  at  home  to  be 
swift  to  act  like  David,  and  say:  "  Who  is  this 
uncircumcised  Philistine,  that  he  should  defy  the 
armies  of  the  living  God?" 

If  anyone  thinks  there  is  little  work  being 
done  out  here,  just  let  them  come  and  see  our 
Presbyterian  Mission  Press,  and  have  a  minute 
only  (for  he  is  a  very  busy  man,  but  always 
kind)  with  our  grand  old  pioneer,  Dr.  George  F. 
Fitch,  who  ever  since  1870  has  honoured  God  in 
China,  through  countless  printed  pages,  as  well 
as  spoken  messages,  and  his  consecrated  wife 
has  brought  so  many  of  the  Chinese  women  to 
Christ.  You  think  of  the  words,  "  crowned  with 
glory,"  as  you  look  at  their  faces  and  see  Jesus 
there. 

And  then  come  into  the  Missionary  Home  on 
Quinsan  Road,  and  see  the  earnest  missionaries, 
representing  every  denomination,  who  come  for 
a  night  or  so  and  pass  on  to  their  various  fields, 
or  take  ship  (as  I  shall  do  tomorrow)  for  Amer- 
ica or  England.  Across  the  table  from  where  I 
sit  are  a  young  couple,  trained  in  teaching  the 
blind.     They  are  starting  an  institution  here  for 


250     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

teaching  and  caring  for  the  poor  little  blind  chil- 
dren; next  to  them  sits  a  dear  old  lady  with  a 
crown  of  silvery  white  hairs,  nearly  80  years 
of  age,  a  mother,  whose  two  daughters  won  mar- 
tyrs' crowns  at  Ku  Cheng.  Next  her  sits  dear 
Miss  Johnson  of  the  Presbyterian  mission  at 
Lien  Chow,  who  was  home  on  furlough  when 
that  awful  tragedy  occurred  October  28th,  1905, 
when  Mrs.  Machle,  little  Amy,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Peak,  and  Dr.  Chestnut  were  murdered  by  law- 
less anti-foreign  characters.  Then  we  have  Dr. 
Woodbridge  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian 
Church  here,  editing  a  Christian  Chinese  news- 
paper and  preaching  the  gospel,  and  here  is  Dr. 
Cunningham  of  Yihsien,  who  last  year  treated 
17,924  patients.  Dr.  Shields  and  family  have 
been  in  the  room  next  to  mine,  and  their  dear 
little  son  sings  so  sweetly :  "  Dare  to  be  a  Dan- 
iel'' and  "Throw  Out  the  Lifeline!"  I  loved 
to  hear  his  little  voice.  They  go  to  a  remote  mis- 
sion (American  Baptists),  located  far  up  near 
the  border  of  Thibet,  where  there  is  still  fighting 
and  unrest.  May  God  protect  them  and  spare 
the  sweet  little  children  is  my  prayer! 

Every  denomination  is  represented  here,  and 
it  is  a  tonic  to  come  in  touch  with  them  as  they 
gather  for  morning  and  evening  prayers  in  the 
parlour  where  Mr.  Edward  Evans  gives  us  a  mes- 
sage from  the  Holy  Word.  They  come  and  the_, 
go,  and  God's  blessing  rests  with  them  and  His 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     261 

"truth,"  through  the  efforts  and  lives  of  these 
His  servants,  "  is  marching  on."  The  work  is 
His,  and  "  when  the  enemy  shall  come  in  like  a 
flood,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  will  lift  up  a  stand- 
ard against  him."  Are  you  doing  your  share? 
Are  you  willing  to  give  to  God  your  best  ?  Your 
gifts  for  China — the  best  you  could  give — are 
you  putting  those  gifts  into  His  outstretched 
hand  ?  Are  you  willing  to  say :  "  Here  Lord, 
send  me.  I'll  go  where  you  want  me  to  go,  dear 
Lord."  If  you  do,  you  will  find  Him,  oh!  so 
precious,  and  your  life,  oh,  so  sweet  with  Him 
for  your  guide! 

My  furlough  being  about  due,  I  had  planned 
to  go  home  by  way  of  Palestine  and  see  the 
blessed  Holy  Land,  "  where  our  dear  Lord  was 
crucified,  who  died  to  save  us  all,"  and  praise 
Him  where  the  shepherds  fell  at  His  feet  in 
Bethlehem.  But  I  must  spell  the  word  "  disap- 
pointment "  with  an  "  h,"  for  it  is  His  "  appoint- 
ment "  for  me  to  respond  to  the  call  for  help  in 
the  cause  of  the  China  Propaganda.  A  cable- 
gram from  our  Board  asks  if  it  is  possible  for 
me  to  "  come  home  direct  route  at  once  to  assist 
in  the  China  campaign,"  and  I  gladly  go  to  be 
of  service.  But  oh!  the  going  is  not  easy  from 
these  dear  people.  We  have  those  at  Wei  Hsien 
who  are  very  dear  to  me,  not  only  our  dear  for- 
eign missionaries  and  their  sweet  children,  but 
our  native  Chinese  friends,  and  my  eyes  fill  with 


252    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

tears  as  I  think  of  the  love  they  showed  me  when 
I  left  them.  They  gave  me  beautiful  silk  ban- 
ners all  embroidered  with  beautiful  gold  and  sil- 
ver threads,  "  blessings,  blessings,"  all  around  my 
name.  And  they  gathered  at  my  home,  and 
when  my  chair  passed  through  the  long  lines  of 
dear  Chinese  Christians,  I  felt  as  I  looked  at 
their  sad  faces  as  though  I  were  a  hearse  passing 
through.  And  I  think  of  all  those  dear  country 
village  people  with  no  one  in  my  place  to  go  and 
visit  them.  Just  before  I  came  away  I  made  a 
trip  away  out  to  T'ien  Yu  Kou,  the  little  moun- 
tain village  where  I  was  just  before  the  riots, 
and  the  children  gathered  around  me,  at  least 
fifty  of  them,  their  parents  and  others  back  of 
them  filling  the  chapel,  and  sang  "  Jesus  Loves 
Me,"  and  listened  while  I  told  them  about  the 
little  lad  who  gave  his  lunch  to  Jesus,  all  he  had, 
his  "  five  little  loaves  and  two  small  fishes,"  and 
one  little  girl  sat  with  her  little  brother  beside 
her  who  had  just  lost  their  mother,  and  their 
little  faces  were  so  pathetic.  As  I  left  that  vil- 
lage that  dear  little  girl  followed  my  barrow, 
clutching  in  her  little  garment  a  pretty  little  red 
work-bag  I  had  given  her  from  the  Christmas 
box.  My  teacher  kept  telling  her  to  go  back,  but 
she  kept  saying :  "  I  don't  want  Hoa  Kuniang 
to  go."  Do  you  wonder  that  I  think  of  that 
little  darling  out  there  and  weep  because  I  must 
go  from  these  people  ?    Home  is  very  sweet,  and 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     253 

I  love  my  dear  ones  at  home,  and  I  thank  God 
that  I  shall  soon  see  their  dear  faces  again  in  this 
world,  but  the  little  girl  clutching  at  that  little 
red  work-bag  who  "  didn't  want  Hoa  Kuniang 
to  go,"  is  very  deep  in  my  heart,  and  the  race  she 
represents  is  my  "  heritage." 


APPENDIX 


Map  of  China  Presbyterian  Missions 
Wei  Hsien  Mission,  No.  5,  Shantung  Province 


APPENDIX 


A  BRIEF  NARRATIVE  OF  THE   CHINESE 
REVOLUTION 


BY    CARL    CROW 

Written  Specially  for  the  China  Press  {Shang- 
hai) 

LIKE  many  other  great  events,  the  Chinese 
Revolution  began  inauspiciously  enough. 
The  accidental  explosion  of  a  bomb  in 
the  Russian  concession  of  Hankow  of  October 
9th,  191 1,  caused  a  police  investigation  and  re- 
vealed the  existence  of  a  revolutionary  head- 
quarters, with  elaborately  prepared  plans  for  the 
capture  of  Wuchang.  The  conspirators  were  ar- 
rested and  handed  over  to  the  Viceroy  'Jui 
Cheng,  who  promptly  executed  them  and  had 
their  heads  photographed  so  that  Peking  might 
see  by  the  pictures  the  promptness  with  which 
he  suppressed  all  attempts  to  question  the  au- 
thority of  the  Son  of  Heaven. 

It   was   not   unlike   many   other   incidents   of 
China's  recent  history,   for  many  revolutionary 
257 


258     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

plots  have  been  discovered  and  many  revolution- 
ists have  lost  their  heads.  Usually  the  incident 
ended  with  the  work  of  the  executioner,  and 
things  went  on  much  the  same  as  before  until 
another  plot  was  discovered  and  there  was  an- 
other trip  to  the  execution  ground.  No  one 
knew  better  than  the  Manchus  that  revolution- 
ists never  ceased  to  be  dangerous  until  their 
heads  were  severed. 

But  the  Wuchang  incident  was  different, 
though  it  did  not  appear  so  at  first.  The  elab- 
orate headquarters  indicated  the  presence  of 
many  other  persons  with  revolutionary  ideas,  and 
Viceroy  Jui  set  out  at  once  in  search  of  them. 
He  and  his  officers  remained  up  all  night  fol- 
lowing the  explosion.  Soldiers,  merchants, 
scholars,  idlers — anyone  suspected  by  the  Viceroy 
— were  arrested  and  searched.  A  great  many  of 
them  were  found  guilty,  and  the  executioner  did 
a  good  day's  work  before  breakfast.  The  gates 
of  the  city  were  ordered  closed  and  preparations 
made  for  a  still  more  thorough  search  for  sus- 
picious characters. 

While  the  tired  executioner  slept  during  the 
day,  the  people  of  Wuchang  assembled  in  quiet 
but  excited  crowds  and  talked  over  the  horrors 
of  the  previous  night.  The  excitement  grew 
more  intense,  and  with  the  coming  of  darkness 
the  tension  snapped.  A  private  soldier  shot 
down  the  corporal  who  tried  to  search  him  for 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    S59 

hidden  cartridges,  and  his  comrades  joined  him 
in  attacks  on  other  officers.  The  foreboding 
quiet  of  the  day  was  broken.  In  a  few  minutes 
the  city  was  full  of  rioting  which  long  before 
midnight  turned  into  revolt.  Viceroy  Jui  fled 
through  the  rear  of  his  yamen,  and  took  refuge 
on  a  gunboat.  General  Li  Yuan  Hung,  previ- 
ously an  obscure  colonel,  led  the  disaffected  sol- 
diers, and  by  midnight  the  army  had  been  turned 
into  a  rebel  force,  which  quickly  put  to  the 
sword  or  drove  across  the  river  the  few  hun- 
dred Manchu  troops  and  officials,  who  natu- 
rally declined  to  join  in  the  movement. 

ARSENAL  AND  MINT  CAPTURED 

The  arsenal  with  its  large  store  of  arms  and 
ammunition  fell  easily,  as  did  the  mint.  The 
morning  after  the  revolution  dawned  with  the 
republican  army  of  China  in  possession  of  Han- 
yang, Wuchang  and  Hankow,  equipped  with 
millions  of  rounds  of  ammunition  and  several 
million  dragon  dollars,  freshly  minted  at  the 
Imperial  mint.  Not  a  vestige  of  Manchu  au- 
thority remained.  Thousands  of  civilians  imme- 
diately began  enrolling  their  names  as  members 
of  "  The  People's  Army."  As  if  by  magic,  new 
uniforms  for  the  revolutionary  army  appeared. 

The  authorities  in  Peking  soon  learned  of  the 
trouble.     Viceroy  Jui  told  about  it  in  an  official 


260    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

dispatch,  and  he  was  immediately  severely  cen- 
sured by  imperial  edict  and  told  to  recapture  the 
place.  Knowing  more  of  the  situation  than  the 
Peking  authorities,  he  did  not  wait  for  the  re- 
ply, but  fled  at  once  to  Shanghai.  More  news 
reached  Peking,  where  preparations  were  going 
on  for  a  mobilization  of  the  army  of  China, 
which  would  demonstrate  to  the  world  what  an 
effective  fighting  machine  the  country  had  built 
up  with  a  view  to  preventing  just  such  outbreaks 
as  this.  Apparently  the  coincidence  of  the 
manoeuvres  was  a  fortunate  circumstance,  for 
trains  carrying  soldiers  and  arms  to  the  camp 
were  at  once  sent  to  Hankow,  the  first  force  dis- 
patched being  of  6,000  men,  which  number  was 
soon  doubled. 

The  loyal  soldiers  who  had  been  driven  from 
Wuchang  camped  near  Hankow,  where  a  few 
days  later  there  was  a  small  skirmish,  unimpor- 
tant so  far  as  numbers  go,  but  the  easy  success 
of  the  rebels  gave  them  a  great  deal  of  confi- 
dence. The  northern  soldiers  began  arriving 
within  a  week,  and  by  the  latter  part  of  October 
the  two  forces  were  in  actual  conflict.  The  revo- 
lutionary army  in  the  meantime  had  grown  to 
about  20,000  men,  partly  by  enlistment  and 
partly  by  the  arrival  of  troops  from  the  south. 

The  fighting  was  chiefly  confined  to  a  small 
area  back  of  the  foreign  concessions  of  Han- 
kow, extending  from  Kilometer  Ten  station  to 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    S61 

the  Han  River.  During  all  of  it  the  well-trained 
northern  troops  showed  their  superiority  over 
the  raw  recruits.  The  latter  suffered  heavily  in 
dead  and  wounded,  but  for  everyone  shot  down 
there  was  always  another  ready  to  take  his  place, 
and  the  numbers  in  the  people's  army  grew  de- 
spite the  heavy  daily  loss.  By  the  middle  of  No- 
vember the  rebels  had  been  slowly  driven  back 
by  the  daily  and  nightly  fights  until  none  was 
left  outside  the  Chinese  city  of  Hankow,  which 
with  Hanyang  and  Wuchang  was  still  held  by 
the  revolutionaries. 

REVOLUTION  SPREADS 

While  the  fighting  was  going  on  in  Hankow, 
the  republican  spirit  spread  rapidly  through  the 
Yangtsze  valley,  and  it  soon  became  apparent 
that  in  order  to  recover  the  loyalty  of  the  sec- 
tion, nothing  short  of  complete  military  occupa- 
tion by  the  Imperialists  would  be  necessary.  The 
Imperialists  were  powerless,  and  town  after 
town  and  province  after  province  went  over  to 
the  republicans  without  a  shot  being  fired.  In 
many  cases  the  transition  from  Manchu  to  Re- 
publican authority  involved  nothing  more  than 
a  search  through  an  abandoned  yamen  for  the 
ofBcial  seals.  Sianfu,  looked  on  as  one  of  the 
strongholds  of  Manchu  power,  was  one  of  the 
first  to  revolt,  striking  terror  in  the  Forbidden 


262     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

City  and  greatly  hampering  the  movement  of 
troops  to  the  South.  This  was  in  accordance 
with  a  plan  which  had  been  adopted  many  years 
before,  for  every  movement  of  the  revolution, 
despite  its  apparent  disorder,  was  the  result  of 
plans  which  had  been  thought  out  long  before  the 
outbreak  occurred. 

As  rapidly  as  the  movement  spread  in  the 
south,  the  Peking  authorities  made  frantic  efforts 
to  stop  its  progress.  A  full  pardon  promised  to 
all  who  would  lay  down  their  arms  resulted  in 
nothing,  and  soon  the  Chinese  people  had  the 
novel  experience  of  listening  to  imperial  edicts 
in  which  the  throne  abjectly  promised  to  reform. 
High  officials,  including  several  members  of  the 
imperial  clan  were  dismissed  from  service,  some 
of  them  with  severe  censure,  and  an  attempt  was 
made  to  secure  the  aid  of  more  progressive  offi- 
cials. Tang  Shao  Yi  was  recalled  to  the  post  of 
Minister  of  Communications  and  Yuan  Shih-k'ai 
was  implored  to  accept  the  position  of  Viceroy 
vacated  by  the  desertion  of  Jui  Cheng.  He  was 
rapidly  promoted  in  power,  and  in  a  short  time 
given  complete  control  of  the  army  and  navy. 

The  earlier  edicts  of  apology  and  promise  hav- 
ing resulted  in  nothing,  an  edict  was  issued  on 
October  30th  granting  to  the  National  Assembly 
full  power  to  draft  and  adopt  a  constitution. 
This  action  on  the  part  of  the  throne  was  doubt- 
less precipitated  by   demands  from  soldiers  at 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     26S 

Lwangchow,  a  place  which  was  looked  on  as  a 
loyal  stronghold.  Immediately  on  receipt  of  the 
edict,  the  Assembly  adopted  a  constitution  which 
guaranteed  to  the  Chinese  all  the  political  rights 
which  they  had  been  vainly  demanding  for  years. 
The  constitution  was  incorporated  in  an  edict, 
and  to  make  it  still  more  binding  the  Prince  Re- 
gent, representing  the  infant  Emperor,  visited 
the  Ancestral  Temple,  and  took  a  solemn  oath  to 
uphold  its  conditions.  The  constitution  left  the 
Imperial  Clan  practically  without  power,  and  this 
concession,  granted  within  a  month  after  the 
outbreak  of  the  revolt,  showed  how  strong  was 
the  sentiment  of  republicanism.  But  the  reform- 
ers in  China  had  been  deceived  before  by  Manchu 
promises,  and  adoption  of  the  constitution  did 
not  weaken  the  determination  of  the  revolution- 
ists. 

SHANGHAI  TURNS  REPUBLICAN     . 

Soochow  and  Shanghai  early  became  repub- 
lican cities,  the  fighting  at  both  places  being  un- 
important, but  the  important  position  of  Nanking, 
under  General  Chang  Hsun,  held  out.  The  sym- 
pathies of  the  people  were  doubtless  with  the  re- 
publicans, but  General  Chang  stubbornly  refused 
any  overtures  for  the  surrender  of  the  city,  and 
active  preparations  were  made  for  an  attack. 
Thousands  of  troops  were  enlisted  in  Shanghai 
and  others  brought  North   from  Canton,  Foo- 


264     NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

chow,  Ningpo  and  Hangchow  were  equipped  and 
trained  here  and  sent  to  Nanking.  The  bom- 
bardment of  the  place  began  in  the  latter  part  of 
November.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  firing,  but 
small  loss  of  life,  and  General  Chang  soon  saw 
that  it  would  be  useless  for  him  to  attempt  to 
hold  out  against  the  republicans.  On  December 
I,  he  fled  from  the  city  with  a  small  number  of 
troops,  and  the  republicans  took  possession. 

While  the  republicans  were  succeeding  at 
Nanking,  they  met  with  reverses  in  the  Wu-han 
cities.  Slowly  driven  back  into  the  Chinese  city 
of  Hankow,  they  made  a  desperate  stand  there, 
but  the  imperial  general  drove  them  out  by  set- 
ting fire  to  the  city.  The  republican  stronghold 
of  Hanyang  remained,  but  fell  to  the  imperialists 
just  before  the  republican  success  at  Nanking. 

A  provisional  government  had  been  established 
at  Wuchang  with  General  Li  at  its  head,  and  at 
the  time  of  the  fall  of  Hanyang  a  number  of  del- 
egates from  various  southern  provinces  were  on 
their  way  up  the  Yangtsze  to  take  their  seats  in 
the  provisional  assembly.  With  Hanyang's  cap- 
ture, Wuchang  was  greatly  endangered,  and  the 
delegates  returned  to  Shanghai.  The  Republican 
success  of  Nanking  made  that  the  logical  loca- 
tion for  the  republican  capital,  and  the  provi- 
sional government  was  immediately  set  up  there, 
with  General  Huang  Hsing  as  generalissimo. 

This  was  the  situation  before  the  end  of  the 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 


second  month  after  the  outbreak.  So  many  con- 
cessions had  been  made  by  the  Manchus  that  but 
little  remained  as  disputed  points.  They  had  re- 
tired almost  completely  from  governmental  af- 
fairs, and  the  only  question  which  remained  to 
be  settled  lay  between  a  republic  and  a  constitu- 
tional monarchy,  and  on  both  sides  it  was  felt 
that  this  was  too  small  a  question  to  cause  any 
further  loss  of  Hfe,  when  there  was  a  possibility 
that  it  might  be  settled  by  conference.  Besides, 
both  Republicans  and  Imperialists  were  ham- 
pered by  lack  of  funds.  Foreign  loans  applied 
for  by  the  Peking  government  had  failed,  and 
the  voluntary  contributions  raised  by  both  sides 
were  not  enough  to  meet  all  the  demands  of  a 
military  campaign.  An  armistice  was  agreed  to 
in  preparation  for  a  conference,  the  Manchu  au- 
thorities signifying  their  willingness  to  abide  by 
any  decision  which  might  be  reached. 

On  November  15,  Yuan  Shih  K'ai  reached 
Peking,  and  after  having  been  repeatedly  urged 
to  do  so,  accepted  the  premiership,  immediately 
appointing  a  cabinet,  which  included  but  one 
Manchu.  It  was  perhaps  the  most  progressive 
cabinet  in  the  history  of  China,  up  to  that  time, 
but  though  many  of  the  members  were  Yuan's 
old  friends  and  helpers,  there  was  no  alacrity 
about  accepting  the  appointments,  and  for  sev- 
eral weeks  the  new  Premier  worked  practically 
single-handed. 


266    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

PEACE    CONFERENCE 

In  early  December  plans  for  a  peace  confer- 
ence were  under  discussion,  and  on  December  8, 
H.  E.  Tang  Shao  Yi  left  Peking,  as  Peace  Com- 
missioner of  the  Imperial  government,  with  in- 
structions to  meet  a  similar  Peace  Commis- 
sioner appointed  by  the  republicans  and  arrange 
terms  of  settlement.  The  Imperial  clan  had 
paved  the  way  for  an  agreement  of  this  kind  by 
the  resignation,  a  few  days  before,  of  the  Prince 
Regent.  The  edict  which  announced  his  resigna- 
tion placed  on  him  the  blame  for  the  dissatisfac- 
tion of  the  people,  and  made  arrangements  to 
bring  up  the  young  Emperor  under  the  joint 
guardianship  of  a  Manchu  and  a  Chinese.  It 
was  thought  that  this  would  remove  the  most 
serious  objections  to  the  proposed  limited  mon- 
archy. 

Reaching  Hankow,  Mr.  Tang  was  informed 
that  the  Republicans  preferred  to  discuss  the 
matter  in  Shanghai,  where  he  would  meet  Dr. 
Wu  Ting-fang,  their  representative.  He  ar- 
rived here  on  a  special  steamer  on  December 
17th,  and  on  the  following  day  the  two  commis- 
sioners met  in  the  Town  Hall,  and  arranged  for 
an  extension  of  the  armistice.  At  another  meet- 
ing the  startling  announcement  was  made  that 
Mr.  Tang  agreed  with  Dr.  Wu  that  the  monarchy 
which  ruled  China  had  failed  and  that  a  repub- 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     267 

lican  form  of  government  should  be  set  up.  Evi- 
dently Mr.  Tang's  action  in  agreeing  with  Dr. 
Wu  created  a  sensation  in  Peking.  His  commis- 
sion w^as  cancelled,  and  he  held  no  more  official 
interviews  with  Dr.  Wu,  though  the  two  met  un- 
officially almost  daily  at  the  residence  of  Mr. 
E.  S.  Little.  A  spirited  exchange  of  telegrams 
followed  between  Dr.  Wu  and  Premier  Yuan, 
taking  up  the  greater  part  of  January. 

Dr.  Sun  Yat  Sen's  name  had  often  been  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  the  revolution,  but  lit- 
tle w^as  known  of  his  whereabouts.  On  Novem- 
ber i6  the  China  Press  published  a  telegram 
from  him,  stating  that  he  was  in  Paris  and  would 
come  to  China  at  once.  He  arrived  in  Shanghai 
on  Christmas  Day,  191 1,  and  took  up  residence 
in  the  French  concession.  The  provisional  as- 
sembly was  then  in  session  in  Nanking,  and  at 
once  elected  Dr.  Sun  as  the  first  Provisional 
President  of  the  Republic  of  China.  He  went 
to  Nanking,  and  was  formally  inaugurated  on 
January  i. 

While  Dr.  Wu  and  Premier  Yuan  were  ex- 
changing telegrams  during  January,  extensive 
military  preparations  were  going  on  at  Nanking. 
The  repeated  rumours  that  the  conflict  would  be 
ended  by  the  abdication  of  the  Imperial  Clan 
did  not  deter  the  republicans  from  preparing  for 
a  decisive  struggle  if  it  became  necessary.  Many 
thousands  of  soldiers  were  enlisted  in  Canton, 


268    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

Shanghai  and  other  places  under  republican  con- 
trol and  sent  to  Nanking,  where  they  were 
drilled  in  preparation  for  a  march  on  Peking. 

DECISIVE   MESSAGE   FROM    FIELD 

There  is  little  doubt  but  that  during  this  period 
the  most  serious  conflict  was  between  factions 
of  the  Imperial  Clan,  some  being  willing  to  ac- 
cept what  they  thought  to  be  inevitable  and  give 
up  all  power,  while  other  insisted  that  there 
should  be  no  surrender  until  made  abso- 
lutely necessary.  The  issue  was  decided  dur- 
ing the  last  few  days  in  January  by  the  re- 
ceipt of  telegrams  from  practically  all  the  Im- 
perial generals  in  the  field  urging  the  throne  to 
arrange  terms  of  peace,  as  further  fighting  could 
only  result  in  more  successes  for  the  republicans. 
The  telegram  amounted  to  a  demand  from  the 
imperial  army  for  the  abdication  of  the  Emperor. 

After  the  receipt  of  this  message,  there  was 
no  longer  any  doubt  about  the  issue.  The  terms 
between  the  throne  and  the  Republican  leaders 
were  speedily  agreed  on,  and  the  long-expected 
Edict  of  Abdication  was  published  to  the  world 
on  February  12." 

china's  independence  day 

October  loth,  1912,  the  Chinese  Republic  cele- 
brated its  first  "  Fourth  of  July."  It  was  a 
great  day  at  Peking. 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA    269 

"  We  had  a  great  day  here  yesterday  ( Octo- 
ber loth).  Think  of  a  President's  reception  in 
China!  Three  or  four  hundred  foreigners  of  all 
nations  and  foreignized  Chinese  watched  the 
President's  review  of  about  10,000  troops,  then 
ate  a  sumptuous  foreign  lunch,  and  the  Presi- 
dent himself  appeared  in  our  midst  while  we 
gave  him  '  three  cheers  and  a  tiger.'  Come  out 
and  see  the  new  Republic." 

It  was  a  great  day  at  Wei  Hsien. 

"  On  the  first  national  holiday  of  the  Repub- 
lic our  college  and  schools  joined  in,  and,  in  fact, 
were  the  most  prominent  features  in  the  grand 
celebration  and  parade.  The  following  day  the 
schools  of  the  city  visited  the  compound  in  a 
body  and  showed  the  most  cordial  feeling  to- 
wards us.  The  following  day  they  sent  their 
band  to  escort  our  students  around  to  the  differ- 
ent school  officials,  local  assembly  and  political 
clubs  of  the  city.  The  parade  of  the  city  together 
with  the  visits  lasting  between  four  and  five 
hours  by  four  hundred  Christian  students  and 
teachers  carrying  banners  and  Republican  flags, 
singing  patriotic  and  Christian  songs,  made  an 
impression  on  Wei  Hsien  city,  such  as  it  has 
never  received  before.  The  doors  that  have  so 
long  been  closed  in  this  conservative  old  city  are 
wide  open,  and  the  people  are  inviting  us  to 
come  and  be  friends  with  them." 


270    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 


HONOUR  TO  WHOM  HONOUR  IS  DUE ! 

After  the  Revolution  was  over  and  success  as- 
sured, General  Hsu  Pao  Shan  invited  Rev.  A.  R. 
Saunders,  a  well-known  missionary  in  China,  to 
come  to  the  camp  where  he  had  his  one  thousand 
army  officers,  and  he  said :  ''  I  want  you  to 
hold  a  service  here.  We  cannot  get  all  the  army 
in.  That  would  be  impossible,  but  we  will  get 
in  all  the  officers  and  thank  Jesus  for  the  suc- 
cess of  this  Revolution."  When  the  thousand 
officers  were  all  gathered  in  and  Rev.  Saunders 
came  in  to  address  them  at  this  special  invitation, 
the  great  General  arose  first  and  said :  "  I  want 
to  speak  first.  It  is  right  to  meet  today  and 
thank  Jesus  for  the  success  of  this  Revolution. 
China  would  not  be  a  Republic  today  if  it  were 
not  for  the  missionaries  who  believe  in  Jesus, 
and  we  must  thank  Jesus  now.  Mr.  Saunders 
knows  what  Jesus  likes."  And  then  the  unheard- 
of  thing  occurred.  Rev.  Saunders  led  this  vast 
gathering  of  Chinese  officers  in  prayer  and  praise 
to  Jesus,  our  great  King. 

Never  have  we  been  able  to  preach  in  the  Chi- 
nese army  camps  till  now.  You  might  go  any- 
where else,  but  never  there.  Under  the  old 
Manchu  rule,  the  soldiers  were  the  roughest, 
most  cruel  and  wicked  anti-foreign  people  in 
China.    And  now  behold  them  thanking  Jesus ! 


NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA     271 

From  the  farthest  border,  the  Yunnan  Prov- 
ince, the  stronghold  of  Buddhism,  comes  this 
word.  ''Strange  things  are  happening  now  all 
over  China.  The  idols  are  being  destroyed.  Mud 
gods  are  being  made  into  bricks.  Bronze  gods 
are  being  made  into  current  coin."  From  other 
parts  where  the  gospel  has  never  yet  had  a  foot- 
hold, the  word  comes :  ''  Idols  are  being 
smashed.  Temples  locked  up  and  the  keeper 
gone  off  with  the  keys  no  one  knows  where, 
and  no  one  cares.  You  look  through  the  cracks 
and  see  the  idols  fallen  to  the  ground,  and  the 
temples  are  the  abode  of  moles  and  bats." 

Glorious  fulfillment  of  prophecy!  But,  Chris- 
tian friends,  now  is  the  time  to  give  them  the 
only  living  and  true  God.  They  must  have  a  re- 
ligion. No  nation  can  exist  without  a  religion. 
France  tried  it  in  1789  and  failed.  "  Righteous- 
ness exalteth  a  nation."  Let  us  seize  this  great 
opportunity  and  give  them  the  true  religion, 
while  they  are  ready  for  it.  The  time  is  now 
while  they  are  in  the  receptive  state.  The  steel 
when  in  a  certain  plastic  state  may  receive  the 
imprint  of  the  finest  lace.  But  when  cooled  and 
hardened,  the  hardest  weapons  could  not  make 
an  impression. 

"O,  Christ!  Help  Thy  church  to  give  China 
such  faithful,  willing,  noble  missionaries,  and 
back  them  up  with  such  good  substantial  sup- 


27a    NEW  THRILLS  IN  OLD  CHINA 

port,  that  they  may  represent  Thee,  and  that 
Thine  own  image,  the  face  of  the  Master,  may 
be  imprinted  upon  China  forever! 


THE  END 


/ 


BW8222  .H39 

New  thrills  in  old  China, 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00018  8294 


